Princess of Neverland
by lin-ifyouplease
Summary: Mara Emily Jones, the daughter of Emma Swan and Captain Hook, lives a life on the high seas thinking that her parents abandoned her. Little does she know that Emma is trapped in Storybrooke, and Hook remains paralyzed in Neverland. Not to mention, Henry, her stepbrother, no longer believes. If Mara fails to make him believe, then she along with all of Neverland will cease to exist.
1. Introduction

**Quick little AN, the main character's name is pronounced ****_Māra. _****It sounds similar to "Amara", but without the A. ENJOY!**

* * *

As often in fairy tales, a handsome and dashing man finds a beautiful and thoughtful woman; together they build a future and a happy ending just as all do. Previously, they go on some wild and bold adventure together, battling against all odds for justice or love for each other or for the people around them. More specifically, our heroes go through poisonous arrows, loss of love, magic-less fairies, a nasty queen, an overprotective father and a teenager with astounding stubbornness and still manage to find each other in the end.

Emma Swan is more commonly known as "the savior" and daughter of Snow White and the Prince. After her son, Henry, came back into her life, a huge weight of burden was carried on her shoulders because she could not raise him the way that she would have wanted to. She was truly lost in her own special way, and there was only one soul who could guide her and himself back into the light.

Killian Jones; aka "Hook" is the most ruthless pirate on the seven seas. He is the most well known and feared captain to ever sail the waters along with his crew on the Jolly Roger. But even cold and ruthless pirates can fall in love every now and then. Captain Jones had a lover; a woman he had stolen from her husband. He called her Milah. To his dismay, the husband returned even more powerful than Hook had expected and killed Milah in front of him. Killian was never the same after that.

It was only until Emma and Killian truly found each other on Neverland when they both finally came out of their misery. When Emma pulled him in closer towards her to kiss him like she had never kissed before, it had sealed their future forever. There was no turning back after that. They both knew it. Once all was said and done and Henry was returned to his home, the pair decided to live on the Jolly Roger while it was in the port of Storybrooke, Maine.

It was only a matter of time before Emma had discovered that she was with child once again. Henry was only 12 years old when he discovered the news of his new brother or sister. She and Killian were married the pirates way; no fancy ceremony, no big reception afterwards, no doves flying and not a white dress in sight.

The rest are just memories; bits and pieces of the story that come together to make a remarkable past, but all the same, just memories.

Emma would remember sitting below deck, the rocking of the ship soothing her troubles as she rubbed her baby bump in circles, remembering the good times before standing up became a struggle. One early evening, Killian came down below to see her with her eyes closed and her head leaned back against the wooden walls, her fingers patting against her stomach.

"All right there, love?" he asked, slowly stepping towards her.

"Killian..." she said sweetly, opening her eyes, "I'm fine. Do I not look okay?"

"You look radiant as ever," he smiled, getting down on one knee as he pressed his hands against his daughter, "has she moved?"

"Well she seems stubborn," Emma teased, "she'll move when she wants to, not when we expect it."

"Just like her mother in that way," he grinned.

"And her dad too," Emma raised her eyebrows and started playing with the tips of her husband's black hair, "Do you think she'll have blonde hair like me or black hair like you?"

He pursed his lips for a moment and then looked up at his wife, "I think either way she'll be the gem of the sea, eh?"

"Good answer, Hook," she said sternly.

From now on, she had only called him "Hook" as a pet name, rather than his actual name. Killian had sounded much more sincere to her and it made him seem more like a person, rather than something to be feared.

The Captain placed both of his hands on his lady's cheeks and placed a very gentle and sweet kiss on her lips that seemed to last longer than it should have. Emma then started to giggle.

"What is it, love?" he asked.

"She moved," she laughed, "Of all times to move, she chooses now."

"Ah, she's a frustrating sneaky one, then," he roared with laughter, touching her stomach and smiling down at her.

"Now we've figured out how she's like her dad," Emma joked.

"Easy there, sweetheart," Killian joked, playfully stroking the rim of his silver hook against her jawline.

Emma admired her husband for just a moment there. His wit, his devilish charm, his blue eyes, the rugged look that suited him perfectly. It made her wonder who her daughter was going to be like. Who was this girl going to become? And then it suddenly hit her.

"We haven't named her..."

Killian sighed, "I thought we were going to, as you say, 'wing it' when we first get to see her."

"But that was a hypothetical..." she groaned, "Let's just go through lists, right now."

"Fine then."

He grabbed a barrel from the corner of the room and sat on it, rubbing his hand against his head.

"Okay, I've come up with three names that I really like," she said, folding her hands together across her stomach, "Mia, Clara and Mary."

"Why Clara?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you have any better ideas?" she sassed.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said before clearing his throat, "Annika, Marissa, and Scarlett."

"Scarlett?" it was now her turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"It's a good strong pirate name," he nodded proudly.

"Not in my world it isn't," Emma coughed.

"All right then, why don't we compromise then," he said, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning closer towards her, "Let's both of our favorites and see what we can do."

"Clara," she said, nodding her head.

"Marissa," he said immediately after, "It means 'of the sea'... I want her to know where she comes from."

"So Marissa and Clara," Emma said, biting her lip while thinking, "What about... Mara?"

"Mara?" he asked, taken aback, but pleased at the same time.

Just memories came after that. The baby was born and the pair had agreed to name her Mara. Her full birth name became Mara Emily Jones. Mary-Margaret had always told her husband, David, that their new granddaughter had a name that was unique, special and strong, just like her.

More memories filled in one after the other. Killian taught Mara about defending herself on the sea while Emma taught her how to defend herself on the land. With the help of the garden of magic beans, the Jones family continued to travel back and forth between the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, Maine in order for Mara to have the full family experience she deserves. That was always what her parents wanted for themselves.

12 years later, everything went wrong.


	2. Chapter 1

"Mara, listen to me, dear one. You must never distract yourself from your opponent."

"But daddy! I want to catch a mermaid!"

"and you will one day, my sweet, but for now, keep your focus here."

The solid concrete gray floors of the docks were a much better place to hold a sword fighting lesson than the rickety wooden floors of the Jolly Roger. Mara and her father had come to that conclusion several times, especially since she would keep slipping and falling. Killian had decided that the lesson to teach her how to stand on her own two feet on a rickety wooden floor would come later.

Mara rose her sword in the air, keeping two hands on it. It came down with a quick motion and he blocked it, leading the two of them into their usual sword duels. The little one would giggle with delight whenever she found herself winning against her skilled father.

"Killian! What are you doing?"

The fun had ceased at that point. Mara recognized the disapproving tone in her mother's voice. It rested in her memories from when she wouldn't eat her vegetables or she would sword fight with her father in the middle of the Storybrooke peer.

"Oh come now, darling, Mara keeps slipping on the deck," Killian explained, "Would you rather she learn where she'll actually get hurt?"

"Of course not," Emma argued, however, still unconvinced by her husband's explanation, "but I thought we agreed; no sword fighting lessons in Storybrooke-."

"Unless someone is trying to kill us," he finished.

"Killian!"

Emma rushed to cover her daughter's ears with her hands, "Don't talk like that in front of her."

"Relax, love," he said, drawing his sword back and patting his wife's back gently, "I think she can handle it."

"Mommy, what's happening?" Mara asked curiously.

"Quiet, sweetheart, mommy and daddy are having a conversation," she said quickly before turning back to him in a hushed tone.

That hushed tone was too muffled to recall what was exchanged between the two of them until after Emma's hands left Mara's ears. It didn't seem like they were in a serious fight, but more like an adult conversation that Emma had always warned her about.

"Guess what, Mara?" Emma said excitedly.

"What mommy?" Mara asked.

"We're gonna go see Grandma, Grandpa and Henry today," she said happily.

"Yay!" Mara screamed, jumping up and down.

"Oh please," Killian chuckled, "She only likes the place cause they give her sweets."

Emma laughed and took Mara's sword from her hand and handed it to Killian.

"Meet us back at Mary-Margaret's?"

"Of course, love."

He kissed his wife's cheek and patted Mara's head before Emma took Mara off towards the roads and the town. Mara looked back, her long black hair flowing in the wind, clouding her vision, as she saw her father enter onto the shielded boat and waved goodbye to him..

* * *

It was like she could still feel her father's hand guiding hers while she steered the ship, listening to her mother's cheers as she learned more and more each second; becoming a more experienced and train pirate.

Yesterday, Mara Jones woke up only to hear the news from the crew that the Captain and his wife were taken from the ship and they have not been seen since the previous day. Hearing that her parents were gone had broken Mara's heart into several uneven pieces. She rubbed her eyes to stop the tears so many times that they were sore when she woke up in the present day. Her cheeks were still burning from the salty tears that had fallen down them. That beautiful raven hair she had treasured so much was now in several knots, waiting desperately for her mother's comb to straighten it out. It hit her very hard in the head, like rocks falling from the sky, when she woke up without hearing the sound of her father ordering around the men like they were domesticated creatures.

Mara got up and dressed as she normally did. Blue patterned shirt with royal blue sleeves, black pants that clung to her body, perfect boots her father had picked out just for her, and the circle necklace she always wore around her neck with the carving of a flower that hung on a silver shining chain. She had decided it was bad luck to take off that precious necklace, because without it, she would succeed to neglect the search for her parents.

It wasn't the same when she opened the door to the deck. The men were all standing in two lines while patiently waiting for her. If Hook were alive, Mara would see them mopping the deck and running around like wild boars or headless chickens. Everything was quiet and serene now, and she absolutely hated it. It was an awful lot for a 12 year old girl to take in.

"All right then," Mara whispered to herself before raising her voice to all the crew, "Just because your captain has gone, does not mean that we'll stop doing what we do best... finding things."

"What do we do, Miss Jones?" one of the members asked.

"That is an excellent question," Mara sighed, walking in between the two lines of men, staring at the wooden boards of the ship and loving the way the water made it look, "We start by sailing to the nearest shore… maybe whoever is holding our captain captive has taken him there. All hands on deck, men!"

"Aye Aye!" They called after her.

They scurried along the ship like tiny mice in a field, that always seemed to make Killian chuckle whenever he saw them running about like this. This time, Mara had to laugh at them alone.

"Where on this bloody ship is Mr. Smee!?" she shouted out over the loud waves and rocking on the ship.

She turned around to see a chubby man who met her height wearing a bright red hat facing her in solute.

"Aye Miss Jones!" he called back.

"Ah! There you are," she said with a grin, "Follow."

Mara marched up the stairs towards the wheel with Smee following hastily after.

"Do we have a heading?" Smee asked.

"Do you have a map with you?" She asked, staring out into the wide open sea, "and the answer better be yes as it is your job to be carrying a map at ALL times."

"Aye," he nodded, taking a light brown scroll from his jacket pocket and unravelling it. He placed it on the black wood in front of the wheel.

Mara placed her index finger very forcefully on a big chunk of land that was just east of their location.

"There! That's the most populated land I know of," she said sternly, "It's not a bad place to start a search for our captain."

"The Enchanted Forest?" Smee asked.

"Land of the most greedy of rulers, the trickiest of traders, and the most heroic of warriors."

"You heard the lass! Head east!" Smee shouted to the rest of the crew below them, "You do know how to steer this ship, don't you?"

"I may not be of age, Mr. Smee, but I do know how to steer a ship, run an entire crew, search for treasure and stay alive in a decent fight," she declared, "My father is, without a doubt, the best pirate to ever sail these seas and no one should never dare to forget it."

Mara placed her hand very tightly on the handle of the wheel and spun it to the right. She was a skilled navigator, at best, and it didn't take long at all before the Jolly Roger made port in a small little town right next to a huge forest that devoured most of the land. On the other side were grand castles and fortresses, but this part of the village was for commoners and low class tradesmen; a good place to hide a pirate.

The second the ship pulled up to the dock, the whole land had smelled of dirt, hay, sweat, blood, tears and fertilizer. Mara had never felt more joyous to be welcomed and totally enveloped by these odors. It was much better than salt and old fish.

"Can you find your way, miss?" Smee asked as the men gathered around the entrance of the boat.

"I shall only need a few of you to accompany me," Mara said, straightening the sleeves on her coat, "Only 3. Mr. Smee shall stay here and watch over the crew while I'm gone."

"Aye!" They all replied.

Mara walked down the wooden board to the docks and stepped onto the first bit of dry land she's seen in over a year.

"Where to first, mi lady?" one of her crew members asked.

"I'd like to visit an old friend first, if you don't mind, boys," Mara said with a grin before continuing on her strut towards the center of the town square.

Music played just as loudly at a fast and high hearted pace, just as she remembered dancing along to as a toddler. This time, however, the dancing of the villagers was quite a nuisance considering that she had seen exactly what she wanted from the other side of the crowd. Mara Jones, being the skilled thinker as she is, decided to simply dance her way through the crowd, leaving her crew members behind her, astonished and surprised. She jumped out of the hustle and bustle of the people and stood directly in front of a man who sat with his leg up on a barrel, relaxing under his hat.

"You look exactly the same as I remember leaving you," she laughed, "have you not a wife to take care of and whatnot?"

The man picked his head up. His long facial features and perfectly placed facial hair made it impossible for her to forget who he was. Him and her father had fought many a battle together. His big brown eyes soon became two gaping black holes in the midst of the whites.

"You're kidding me," he said in his very laid back voice while crossing his arms and falling back against the wall he was relaxing on, "You look so much like your mother, I'll tell ya. But you sure got your father's eyes, no mistaking that."

"Hi Uncle Flynn," Mara said with a small laugh.

Flynn Rider got to his feet and picked up the 12-year-old in his arms.

"You've gotten so big!" he gasped, "How on earth did I miss all of that?"

"Many many years at sea, that's how."

"Well where is Hook? And your mother too! Rapunzel would LOVE to see them!"

"Actually Uncle Flynn… that's why I'm here…"

The music could no longer be heard in that little town square. Flynn set Mara down on her feet and sunk back into the barrel.

"What's happened to them?" he asked desperately, "Are they hurt? Who took them?"

"I don't know, exactly," Mara began, "I only discovered they went missing yesterday. I thought coming here might be a good start for a search. Then once I saw where we had docked, I knew coming to you would be a better idea."

"You're smart for age 12, aren't you?" Flynn chuckled.

"Father!"

A small shout coming from a boy, about 5 years old, came running up to Flynn and jumped into his arms so hard that they both almost fell over with excitement.

"What is it, my boy?" Flynn asked, kneeling down beside his son.

"There's a ship over by the docks!" he cheered, pointing in the direction of the water, "It's the ship that I've always wanted to see, isn't it?"

"The Jolly Roger?"

"That's the one."

"Meet the Jolly Roger's captain's daughter," Flynn said, presenting Mara to a skinny little boy who was shorter than Mara, but had a big head of dark brown hair and big green eyes.

"I'm Mara," she said, holding out her hand to the boy. He shook it back.

"Do you want to see the stories I've read about your dad's ship?" Nico asked excitedly.

"Not now, son," Flynn hushed, "I don't think her parents are okay right now… I need to help her find them."

"Find her parents?!" Nico shouted, "Can I come!?"

"Keep your voice down," Mara whispered, "You can help me here and now if you stop shouting."

Nico nodded his head very quickly, it looked as though his eyes bright sparkling green eyes would pop out of his head. For a moment, Mara wondered if she would be as silly as he was in that moment as a young child, but the thought quickly passed.

"Let's go guys," Flynn said, getting up on his feet, brushing the dirt off his knees, "We should get looking."

Flynn began to walk away into the midst of traders and merchants when Mara felt a sharp pull and a pinch at the back of her neck. It made her gasp like a baby in a very high and soft shriek. She placed her hand firmly on her chest only to realize that her necklace was gone. She heard the sound of hustling footsteps behind her and quickly ran after the only figure that was running through the crowd.

"Oy! Get back here you!" she shouted, "That's mine!"

The boy wasn't being very subtle any more while he was pushing past the villagers as if they were a field of wheat that he could simply push out of his own way. Mara was agile and smart and made her way around them quickly without shoving anyone over in the midst of that chaos. Not to mention she was also too small to make such a commotion. The boy never strayed very far from Mara; she was far too quick for him. His heart was racing like a thousand horses running in a field of grass. The boy had looked back for just one moment and through the vision of his mask, he saw that she was getting farther and farther away. Mara could tell that her pace was slowing down when his figure kept getting smaller and smaller. As she ran, she came upon two men carrying a long plank of bread. She had seen the boy run into the nearest shop and Mara quickly slid on the ground under the plank and continued into the shop.

He was impressed, that was no question. She had managed to follow him all through that alley way of busy and hustling people without a scratch on her nor anyone else around her. She ran into the stone building only to be completely surrounded by flour and the smell of yeast combined with a thin warm feeling that came from the fire. There wasn't much space for the boy to hide, so Mara began to look around the floors to see which cutting table he could be hiding behind. Suddenly, there was nothing but brown ratty patterns in front of her with little tiny holes of light sticking through. Mara picked up her foot and crushed it against what she hopefully thought was his foot. Once she felt the body behind her back away, she elbowed him in the gut and took the burlap sack off her head before reaching to his closed fist.

"You have something of mine," she said, out of breath, "and I'm not giving up until it's mine again."

"Well I guess we'll be here all day then," the black masked boy said, grabbing onto her wrist with great force.

"Gladly," she sassed and jerked her hands to the right, causing him to lose balance and fall over; still, Mara did not let go of that hand holding her necklace.

Mara stood over him with her foot against his chest, pulling his arm away from him as she tried to figure out how to break through his fingers to get what was inside. With a forward motion, however, the boy tugged her down onto the ground, which loosened her grip on his hands. The boy got up and took a bag of flour and poured it all over her before running up the stairs of the building. Mara coughed heavily and dusted some parts of her before getting up and following him up the stairs.

The boy was up on top of the stone roof, looking down over the edge to see how far a fall it might be if he jumped. Mara saw him there and drew her sword.

"If you jump, you're a coward!" she shouted after him.

He looked back at her for a moment, heavily breathing and sweating. It didn't take long for him to draw his sword back and for the fight to ensue. There wasn't any clear winner in this battle, they were both equally skilled and talented with a blade. What puzzled both of them was how they could both be so good with a sword at such a young-looking age. It was peculiar indeed.

Their swords hit each other at an X as the two were standing very close to each other. "Good form," she whispered, then sank down and went between his legs before pressing her sword up against his neck, "Mine's better."

He used his own sword to push hers away from his neck and the fighting continued, however, his efforts weren't quite enough compared to her unending spirit. She backed him up against the edge of the roof and he looked behind him at what was to come.

"Give up, finally?" she asked, the edge of her sword just inches away from his nose.

"No. You?" he asked.

"Never."

The boy raised his eyebrows at her before he attempted to jump to the roof of the building next to them. He couldn't quite get a good grip on the edge of it, though, and he fell straight in a wagon filled with hay and thousands of chickens flapped around him. Mara laughed and swiftfully jumped down onto the sign that hung against the building, then swung down onto the ground before putting her sword back.

"If I'm going to be honest here," Mara said, walking very slowly towards him, "You're not a bad fighter."

She held out her hand to him and the boy rolled his eyes before reaching for her hand. What stopped him from grabbing it was the symbol he saw tattooed on the girl's shoulder. It was a skull and cross bones, except the bones were two swords. He knew that sign far too well.

"Pirate!" he shouted and stood up on his own, "I should have known! Girls can't be THAT good at a fight."

"You obviously have not met my grandmother," Mara sighed, "Alright, you caught me. I'm a pirate. Now how about you give me my treasure there and we can go our separate ways."

"I knew there was something strange about you," he said, ignoring her completely.

The boy opened his hands to reveal Mara's white shell carved necklace on the silver chain that hung on his middle finger. Mara reached for it while it was dangling in the air, but the boy quickly snatched in again into his closed palm.

"Don't think I don't know what this is, girl," he said, "This isn't just some necklace or some piece of treasure. This is a shell carved from the mermaids of Neverland with the most powerful silver that can protect anyone from a magic spell. This is better than any piece of treasure."

"How do you know that….?" Mara said, slowly walking closer to him.

"I've heard the stories that sailors tell when they tie their boats to the docks," the boy said quietly, "I know that symbol on your shoulder… you sail with the Jolly Roger… with the great Captain Hook."

"Captain Killian Jones, actually," Mara corrected him.

"That's not what they call him in the stories."

"That's his name," she snapped.

"And what do you know of him?" the boy sassed.

"He's my father."

The boy's eyes widened, "YOU are the daughter of Captain Hook?"

"Mara Jones, at your service," she said, taking a small bow, "Now that you know who I am and whatnot, why don't you give me my necklace back and I shall be on my way."

"Do you really think it's THAT easy?" he asked, dangling the necklace in front of his face, "Do you KNOW how much this necklace is going to cost in the market… I could be rich."

"Or I could slit your throat," she said, reaching to for her sword.

"But you, similarly to myself, are a child. I don't think you're quite ready to kill."

Mara groaned, "Fine then, what do you want for it?"

"In exchange for your necklace…. I want to join your crew."

"My crew?" her eyes widened, "Why would you wanna do that? What makes you think I'd even accept you into my vessel after you robbed me of my most prized possession?"

"Please, Mara?" he begged, "I've been stuck in this village all my life and I just want to do something else with my life than count ships on a blasted dock all day long."

"Here's an idea," Mara suggested, "Why don't you go steal something else from another pirate and see if they take up your offer."

"You said yourself I'm a good fighter," he nodded, "Imagine if we were fighting together with the rest of your crew. I'm not going to drag you down, I promise."

"I'm a pirate, so it's my job to not trust people because I know they're going to steal something from me…" she pondered, "How about this. I give you 2 weeks on my ship. If you succeed to impress me, you can stay, if not, you get off and find your own way back home."

"Deal?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Mara nodded and shook his hand.

"Now if you please," she said, holding out her hand in front of him, "My necklace."

The boy nodded and dropped the necklace into her palm. Mara let out a great sigh of relief and then tied the necklace back around her neck.

"Thank you, boy," she said, "Now if you're going to be on my ship, I'm going to need to call you something besides 'boy'."

"Tristan," he said, giving her a small bow, "Tristan Jacobs."

"All right then, Tristan, we should get going. My friend is probably wondering where I am right about now."

The two of them walked back to the docks where the Jolly Roger rested. Flynn Rider stood on it and once he caught sight of Mara, he ran off the ship and took her in his arms.

"Where have you been?" he asked worriedly, "I looked behind me and you were completely out of my sight!"

"I'm fine, Uncle Flynn," she reassured him, "I ran into a little thief. Thankfully, my father taught me how to handle these kind."

Tristan held out his hand to Flynn, "Tristan Jacobs. Newest crew member of the Jolly Roger."

"Trial member, actually," Mara snapped, "This is our deal for the return of my father's gift."

"Ah yes," he said, looking at the necklace, "You don't want to lose that one anytime soon."

"Did you happen to find him here?" she asked shyly.

"No such luck…" Flynn said sadly, "I'm sorry, Mara."

Mara took in a deep breath. This was only the first landmark and there were so many more lands to search for. Now that she had another pair of eyes looking, it wouldn't be completely terrible. There was still some shred of hope in Mara's heart that her father and mother would be found and they'd be safe on their ship once again.

"But this time I'm coming with you," Flynn nodded.

"What about Aunt Rapunzel?" she asked.

"She'll be fine here on her own for some time… but while your father is gone you're going to need someone to look after you and finish your training. It's the least I can do for your family ever since your father fought alongside me and saved my life several times all those years ago."

"I would love that, Uncle Flynn," Mara chimed and hugged him very tightly, "At least until I'm old enough to take care of myself, right?"

"Right," he chuckled.

While having Flynn as a fatherly figure in her life was all good fun, it never was quite the same as when Killian and Emma were there with her. With Tristan aboard as well, they began to search neighboring kingdom and trading ports. Sadly, there was no luck there either. It was now time to figure out whether they should travel farther into the ocean and look at distant lands or keep searching the nearby ones more thoroughly. She decided to sleep on the idea of it.

* * *

Emma adored the way Mara's tiny feet looked in the crystal clear waters of Neverland. Killian just loved the adventure of it all; bringing his family to the place that made him that man he is today. It was where he fell madly in love with his wife and she him, and now it was the place where Mara, at the age of 4, would make new discoveries as well.

"The shells here are pretty, daddy," Mara's voice rang like tiny bells in the wind, "They shine really bright."

"Would you like one?" he asked.

"Yes!" she clapped.

Killian bent down towards the water and picked up one of the sea shells in the water. Suddenly, a hand came out of the water and grasped his wrist very tightly. Mara let out a loud shriek as Emma quickly ran to her daughter's side.

"Mommy!" she cried.

"Killian!?" Emma called.

The hand didn't move from where it was. It didn't drag him down into the depths of the water. Instead, a head full of bright red hair reached the water's surface. On that head's face was a bright smile with the prettiest blue eyes like the ocean itself.

"Hook! Emma!" she cried.

"Ariel?" Emma asked.

"You gave me quite a scare there," Killian said, grabbing his own wrist.

"Sorry, I'm one for theatrics," Ariel giggled, then she gasped delightfully at the sight of a small child, "Oh my! Who is this?"

"Ariel, this is my daughter, Mara," Emma said with her hands placed firmly on Mara's shoulders.

The mermaid smiled dazily at her, "Henry's sister?" she asked.

"Half-sister, actually," Emma replied.

"She's mine..." Killian corrected.

"Oh I'm so happy for the both of you," Ariel clapped.

"Mommy, why is she in the water?" Mara whispered.

"Because she's a mermaid," Emma whispered back.

"Would you like to get a closer look, sweetheart?" Killian asked, holding out his hand to her.

Mara held out her tiny hand to Killian very hesitantly. When she grabbed it, she quickly ran to his embrace. He picked her up and sat her on his lap instead.

"Hello little one," Ariel said sweetly to her, "My name is Ariel."

Ariel dipped her hand out of the water very gently and held it out to the little dark-haired child who backed away from her, closer to her father's chest.

"It's alright, Mara," Killian whispered to his daughter, "She won't hurt you."

He pushed her upright on his lap, but the little girl immediately retreated and faced her back to Ariel, cowering into her father's shoulder saying, "Daddy," very quietly and sweetly.

"Shhh… it's okay…" he patted her very gently on the back.

"Mara," Emma called, kneeling beside her husband and leaning in very close to her little girl's face, "Ariel is good. She's helped us a lot. You can trust her."

Mara wiped her left eye and nodded before turning around very slowly. Ariel reached her hand out again and the child hesitantly took it.

"You are such a beautiful child," Ariel marveled.

"Thank you," Killian and Emma said and then laughed sweetly at each other.

"A gem of the sea… the daughter of a captain," she said soothingly, "A princess, more like it."

"I am not a princess," Mara argued, vigorously shaking her head.

"Well why not? You are beautiful enough to become one," she insisted, "Here."

Ariel brought her other hand up from the water and in it was a shining white circle with a carving of a flower that hung on a silver shining chain. It glistened in the sunlight like a freshly cut diamond.

"Is this a sea shell?" Mara asked.

"Why yes it is," Ariel nodded, "The perfect gift for a special girl like you."

"Where did you find that?" Emma asked.

"You didn't know, Emma?" Ariel pondered, "Killian came to me with the shell and asked me to make something magical for her."

"You did?" Mara said excitedly.

"I did," Killian said proudly, kissing his daughter on the forehead, "A little something to keep from me. Emma, dearest, can you do the honors."

"Of course," she laughed.

Emma took the necklace from Ariel and wrapped it around Mara's neck. There it would stay for a very long time.

"Now the real gem of the sea," Killian said, stroking her hair, "is my very own daughter."

* * *

The sound of her own childhood giggle is what Mara awoke to in the middle of the night. The waves were restless and it rocked the boat. Tristan was asleep in the hammock above her and Flynn rested in the hammock on the other side of the quarters. Mara arose out of her hammock and tied a black robe around herself before she opened the door and stepped out onto the deck that glistened against the high full moon. She watched the tide push and pull with each other as she remembered falling asleep on her father's lap while watching the sunset with her parents. She remembered Emma's laugh, Killian's chuckle and Mara's high pitch giggle.

These thoughts were interrupted with by a tiny piece of paper that fell directly in front of Mara's nose. She caught it with her hand and saw the writing in black ink on the folded piece of paper. It said "Mara Emily". She unfolded the paper to reveal the note within.

_My Dearest Mara,_

_By now you would have realized that we are no longer with you. It's time that you learned how to rule these seas on your own. We left you alone on that ship because we need you to do some growing up. This isn't Neverland, sweetheart, you can't stay a child forever. Don't come looking for us, because you are wasting your time. You will not find us ever again. You are strong, smart and brave. You will find your own way of surviving without us, it's not like you have a choice now anyway. Know that this is simply for the best that we are separated from you._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

Was that it then? Will she never see her parents again? Why would they leave her all of sudden? Was Mara not good enough for them anymore? The note was all too confusing, but then suddenly the paper from her hand jumped up, folded itself into a swan and then flew away into the foggy sky. That was a kind of magic that Killian had told Mara about when she was younger; that proved the letter wasn't some kind of fix. Now the toughest part was figuring out whether or not to listen to it.

They had spent weeks looking at sea and there was no sign of them anywhere in the nearest lands. She even had extra eyes helping her and they still couldn't find any clues to where they might be. It seemed so hopeless at this point. Besides, they didn't want to be found, as it said in the letter. There would be no big reunion with Killian and Emma in a few weeks time. Mara sat down on the moist deck of the ship, holding her legs close to her and leaned her head back against the wood, looking up at the blurry moonlight.

Mara had then concluded that this, indeed, would be the end of an era. She swallowed her sorrow, clenched her fists together and stood back up on her own two feet. It felt as though she had the weight of a thousand tons on her shoulders until she finally stood up and grinned menacingly, holding her father's pendant in her hand.

"If I'm not allowed to find you, then I'll just be a better pirate than you," she said proudly, then walked up to the wheel of the pirate ship.

The only other person who was allowed to steer this ship was Killian Jones, the great legendary captain. She was a bit nervous to be finally steering this ship on her own, without any motivation of change. Her finger slowly grasped the wooden kegs of the wheel and turned it very slowly to the right. The ship shifted against the current of the ocean and it lit a fire in her heart and harshly turned the wheel in a fast motion.

Mr. Smee felt the rocking of the ship and awoke with a snort.

"Miss Jones!" he called to her, hustling to his feet.

Mara turned her head sharply at him, her hands still firmly on the wheel.

"This is a new era Mr. Smee… and the Jolly Roger is mine now."


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you guys for the never ending support of this story so far. The views are off the charts and you guys are really pulling through for me this early in the project, so thanks so much.**

**We're introduced to a whole new Peter Pan in this chapter, so brace yourselves**

**The Face Claim for Mara is Alexandra Daddario, for Tristan is Drew Roy, and for the "new" Peter Pan is William Moseley**

**ENJOY 3**

* * *

The sunlight was bright and blazing, the sea was misty and the air smelt of blood and salt. There was nothing but the sound of swords rubbing metal together and the screams of lives lost and pirate fighting one another. Someone had tried to defy the great power of the Jolly Roger. This was a battle a neighboring ship was obviously losing. The men of the Jolly Roger were too cunning, fearless, and ruthless to give up so easily.

The door to the captain's quarters swung open and another sword was drawn. The heels that clicked against the wooden deck and the long flowing black hair that fell from beautiful white skin covered with a black shirt and blue vest were unmistakable to those who had heard the stories over the last 4 years.

"Captain!" one of the crew members shouted to her.

Mara Jones was then attacked by a member of the invading pirates, but was struck down with just one swing of her sword.

"Do you honestly think I need help, Mr. Jacobs?" she grinned.

"Of course not," he laughed.

The hustle of the fight continued. Mara crossed swords with another pirate who looked at her dead in the eye with yellow teeth and a scratched up face.

"You're a girl," he laughed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, playfully pouting her lip, "Scared to cross swords with a woman?"

"Not really a fair fight, don't you think?" he said.

"Yes, in fact, it is out of custom for a captain to fight with a whimpy crew member," she said, drawing her sword back and then quickly jabbing it into the man's stomach, "Now that… is bad form."

Mara walked away from her victim after pulling out her sword that was now covered with blood. She grabbed a rope from her own ship and stood on the edge of the ship before swinging over to the other ship and landing very firmly on her feet. There was never any hesitation when she walked, she was more than sure of her every move, which is what her crew admired so much about her.

"You there!" she said, holding the point of her sword to a man's neck, "Unless you plan on losing your head today, you will show me where your captain is."

The shaking man pointed his finger to the stern of the ship. Mara walked up the steps of the ship to see a man with a heavy beard and a hat that didn't quite do him justice.

"I'm just here to warn you that we're going to sink your ship," she said, "but it's nothing personal, it's just good business."

The captain took a few steps back with his eyes wide and bellowed with laughter that his large jelly-like stomach began to shake like the rumbling waters. He pulled out his sword and kept his eyes wide while he tossed it into the air and caught it with one brisk motion. Mara rolled her eyes at him as he stood with his legs apart, ready for a fight. Instead of playing with theatrics, she pulled out her pistol and with one clean shot he fell to the ground. The men on the ship all watched once the sound rung clear through the wind.

"What?" she shrugged, looking at the men, "I did warn him, didn't I?"

The sound of two feet landed on the deck of the ship. Mara was glad at who she saw.

"Tristan!" she called, "Get the satchel and let's move!"

"Aye captain!" he called back.

Mara grabbed one of the ropes on the deck and prepared to swing over across the roaring waters beneath her, but the rope snapped from above her and she began to slowly tip forward. She felt a hand grab her vest and pull her back, but then she suddenly jerked forward and began to soar over the waters and onto the deck of the Jolly Roger. Mara straightened out her vest before seeing that Tristan was standing next to her with the satchel in hand.

"Now that, Mr. Jacobs, is good form," she winked, then looked out to her crew, "Sink the ship!"

The men shouted all together with their swords in the air, then quickly hustled to their canons to load them. Mara drew her sword back and walked back to her quarters.

"Mara," Tristan called after her, "Aren't you going to stay and watch the sinking?"

"I watched the last one," she sighed, stepping below deck, "I'm good this time."

For the 4 years that Tristan has stayed aboard on the Jolly Roger, he felt himself growing closer and closer to Mara. She was not just his captain, she was his friend. Nobody on that ship, not even Mr. Smee, knew Mara better than he did. Being on that ship gave him the chance to become the man he can be, trustworthy, strong, quick, and careful. When Flynn Rider had left a short while ago, he had trusted Tristan to take care of Mara if her lid ever flew off. It was very un-Mara-ish of her to not watch the sinking of her enemy's ship, so he had no other choice but to follow her down below deck.

"Do you at least want to see what's in the satchel?" he asked, sitting down in the hammock across from hers.

"Let me guess," she said, changing from her heeled boots into her flat boots, "gold coins, a few gems and priceless artifacts."

Tristan placed the satchel on his lap and opened it, "A few gold coins," he said, tossing one to Mara which she caught in her hand, "A goblet... that's a new one," he said charismatically, raising one eyebrow, "and finally…. a very special necklace that belongs to one Mara Jones."

From the bag, Tristan pulled out Mara's special necklace that she clung to all these years and wrapped the chain around his finger so it dangled from his hand.

"My necklace!" she gasped, getting up out of her hammock and sitting next to him to snatch it from him, but he closed his fist, "GIve it here Tristan!"

"What's the magic word?" he asked teasingly.

"PLEASE give me back my necklace," she laughed.

He chuckled and wrapped the necklace back around her neck, "You really should be more careful with this. You keep losing it."

"This time I thought I'd lost it forever when we set sail without it," she said, touching it gently, "I guess thanks are you in order… too bad the guy who found it is floating to the bottom of the ocean as we speak."

"OR you could thank the man who got the satchel," he said, playfully shoving his shoulder against hers.

"Thank you Tristan," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder, "You truly are the greatest friend a girl could ever ask for."

Nowadays, more than ever, Tristan had wished that Mara's affections for him were much stronger than their current state. But having her lean so close to him was good enough for now.

* * *

The bell of the diner rung loud and clear as a hustling mother in a red jacket tried to hold the hand of a jumping little girl who was bursting with excitement in the walls of her brand new black leather jacket.

"I wanna sit up there mommy!" Mara shouted as she continued to bounce with her arm shaking as it pointed to the counter.

"Alright, then we can," Emma smiled, picking up her daughter and placing her in the stool.

Ruby nearly glided across the floor once she recognized them and came directly to the smiling blue-eyed child.

"Hi there, Mara," she said sweetly, leaning up against the counter, "What brings you to Granny's today?"

"It's my birthday, Ruby!" Mara cheered, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Well Happy Birthday!" Ruby clapped, "I see you have a nice jacket on today. Who got you that?"

"Grandma and Grandpa," she said with a nod, "They said it made me look JUST like daddy!"

"I could imagine how pleased Killian would be to hear that," Emma laughed.

"I'm sure he was," she said, tapping Mara's nose, "He must be very proud of his little pirate."

"He will be," Emma said, "He went back to the Enchanted Forest last week."

"Oh," Ruby pouted, "Will he miss his own daughter's birthday?"

"I hope not," she shrugged, "he said he had some unfinished business to do and he'd be back in time for Mara's birthday."

Mara let out a giggle that was as clear as bells and as crystal as the clear waters of Neverland. It was beautiful, like bells, but heart warming, the way any child's giggle might sound. Either way, Emma was sure that every single person in that diner was a little bit happier just to hear a 6 year old giggle.

"Now," Ruby said excitedly, "Why don't I get you some birthday chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Sound good?"

"YAY!" she shouted, clapping her hands together rapidly, "Mommy NEVER lets me have chocolate chip pancakes!"

"Well it's your birthday," Emma shrugged, "One day a year for chocolate chip pancakes won't hurt anybody."

"Thank you, mommy," Mara said, reaching across her stool to hug her tightly.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she whispered and kissed her daughter's head of long flowing black hair.

"Great!" Ruby smiled, "I'll put those right in for you."

She shrugged her shoulder happily before walking off into the kitchen again, holding the order paper tightly between her hands.

The bell of the diner rang again, which turned both the Jones girls heads to the door. Emma had hoped that it would be Killian, just as handsome as ever, with a big grin on his face, not a scratch on his body anywhere, and his eyes just as blue and precious as ever. Mara hoped to see the face of her father as well. It wasn't exactly fun waking up in her grandparents apartment without her father there wishing her happy birthday first thing in the morning. Her mother had told her that 'daddy will be back before the day is over' and Mara held that very close to her. It would be a shame to turn 6 without her father there to see it. For now, however, the visitor at the door was enough to keep both Mara and Emma happy until Killian's return.

"Happy Birthday Mara!" Henry said with a big smile.

"Henry!" Mara cheered, getting out of her chair and hugging her brother tightly.

"What did you get for your birthday breakfast?" he asked her.

"Mommy said I could have chocolate chip pancakes!" she beamed.

"That's awesome," he said, giving the child a high-five.

"Look what Grandma and Grandpa got me, Henry," she twirled in her new jacket.

"That's really cool, Mara," he nodded.

Neal Cassidy, Henry's father, came in after him, nearly out of breath and laughing a bit once he entered into the diner.

"You could have waited for me by the car, you know," he laughed.

"Sorry dad," Henry replied, "Check out Mara's new birthday gift."

"It looks very nice on you, Mara," he nodded.

"Thank you!" she said, then skipped up very close to him, "Do YOU have a present for me?"

"Why, in fact, I do," he smiled, taping the little girl's nose, "I left it in the car, but I will get it for you right now. Henry, why don't you go and get your present for her too."

"Okay, I'll be right back," Henry waved before he left the diner with his dad.

Emma picked Mara back up and put her on the bar stool again. She rested her head against the table and sighed.

"What's wrong, Mara?" Emma asked, stroking her daughter's hair, "You were all excited for pancakes not two seconds ago."

"I still am," she sighed.

"Then what's wrong?"

Mara took in a deep breath and then turned her head slightly so she looked at her mother, "Do I have to call Neal 'dad' too?"

Emma chuckled, "No you don't. You only call YOUR dad that. You can call Henry's dad Neal."

"Are you gonna leave me and daddy and go live with Henry and his dad?" she asked disappointedly.

Emma sighed. A simple 'no' was going to put her at ease, but it was only a matter of time before she'd start asking questions again. It was only normal for a growing girl to ask why they spend time with her other son and his dad. She looked at her left hand, at the shiny silver band around her finger, and slid it off, then placed it on front of Mara's face on the counter.

"Do you see this?" she said quietly.

"Yes, daddy has one just like it," Mara said, hovering over it gently with her fingers.

"Exactly," Emma nodded, "Do you see one of these on Neal's finger?"

"No," she shook her head.

"That's because your daddy and I love each other very much," she said hopefully, "and these rings are a way to show everyone that we aren't leaving each other for anyone else. I'm not leaving you either, okay? I'll always choose you."

"Does that mean you don't love Henry as much as you love me?" Mara asked plainly.

"Absolutely not," she muttered, "I love you both equally, but I do not love Henry's dad the way I love yours. Neal is a really nice man, isn't he?"

"He's getting my birthday present now," she nodded.

"That's right," Emma smiled, "but wherever you are, that's where my family is. Okay?"

"Okay," Mara whispered.

Emma picked up the blue eyed girl again and placed her in her lap, kissing her dark thick hair several times while a smile reformed on her face.

"I love you Mara…"

"I love you too mommy…"

* * *

Whenever Mara woke up in the middle of the night from a dream, she would hear the sounds of the dream echoing in her ears as she woke up. It was like the people in her dream were standing in a large cave with sound waves that lasted for hours and hours. There were never rarely any tears on her face, but when Mara touched her fingers to her cheeks and licked her lips, she could feel the dampness and taste the salt on her face. Either Tristan spilled sea water on her while she was sleeping, or she had cried. Considering the rest of Mara was still dry, she went with the crying thing instead.

These weren't just dreams, they were memories; memories of laughter, love, comfort, growing up, pain, warmth and everything else that came with her 12 years of growing up with her parents. They had missed 4 years. While 4 years was nothing against the 12 years they had been there, Emma and Killian had missed the 4 most important years of Mara's life. The thing that stabbed Mara the deepest was that she could never turn back the clock and have them there in her life again. They were gone and they weren't coming back. Maybe that's why she was crying in her sleep, she thought.

Sometimes these dreams came every night for a period of time, but never continuously for more than a few days. If Mara was scared for her life, she would dream about the night Killian crossed swords with a man in order to save her life while she was tied up against the wood of her own ship. If Mara needed a hug, she would remember a time when her mother and father would wrap her in their arms while she pretended to sleep and listened to how sweetly they talked about her. However, like every memory that passed her, she would get up out of her hammock, without disturbing Tristan across the room, and step out onto the deck of the ship, just sitting on the stairs and watching the moon fall and the dawn rise. And so she did.

Nothing would ever change. The moonlight would stay the same, as beautiful against the ocean as ever. The waters won't change their patterns. The deck will still feel the same, cold yet comforting, against her body. The feeling that she had of longing for her family back would not change either, no matter how badly she wanted to let go of them to ease this aching pain in her heart. Letting go of her family was not an option. It was above her to abandon the love of her parents like they did her.

"You had another dream?" a man's voice sent shivers through Mara's arms and legs and she gasped.

Tristan placed his hand on her bumpy skin and the warmth of it soothed her.

"Tristan…" she whispered, "You scared me."

"Well you're one to talk," he chuckled, "You're the one getting up in the middle of the night all the time without a word's notice."

"You… You know I sneak out at night?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I've always known," he shrugged, "I guess the room just feels different when you're not in it."

Mara smiled softly, "What day is it today...?"

He looked up at the sky for a moment, then back at her, "March 4th…"

She sighed, then chuckled softly to herself, "Today is my birthday… I'm 17 years old."

"I know," he smiled, "Happy Birthday Mara."

"Thank you, Tristan," she whispered, then leaned on his shoulder again, "You know, 11 years ago I turned 6 years old. My father once went on a voyage to Neverland… I had left my necklace there 2 years earlier and he went to go and get it for my present because I had missed it so much. When I woke up on my 6th birthday, my grandparents had surprised me with the gift of a new black leather jacket. My mom wanted to show it off so we went to this little place for breakfast where I had the sweetest meal a child could ever wish for," Tristan laughed and patted her back as she continued, "My brother's father, Neal, bought Henry and I these little plastic swords and we dueled together. Henry told me all about his adventures in Neverland with his REAL sword. I didn't believe he did all that stuff… then my father came back and surprised me with my necklace. I was so happy to see him again after a long week…. then we celebrated with cake in my grandmother's home… I asked my mom that morning during breakfast if she would ever leave me for another family… she told me that wherever I am is her family… and that she'd always choose me…" Mara felt the tears returning to her cheeks, "I'm starting to wonder why she would break her promise…"

Tristan let out a big sigh and wrapped his arm around Mara's shoulder, pulling her close and tight against him.

"I don't see how she could…" he muttered, "because I think you are everything that she would have wanted you to become."

"And yet she's not here…"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he said, rubbing his hand up and down her shoulder, "You're certainly more than enough for me… and the crew… you haven't lost a man since your father left. No one's jumped shipped and you've even saved a few men's lives."

Mara took a deep breath and rested against him, without even saying a word. She stared straight out into the dead air in front of her, only feeling the sea breeze against her pale skin. Everything else was like a blurred maze. Tristan saw her blank expression and ducked his hand under her knees, lifting her up as he stood up.

"Come on," he mumbled, "Sleep deprivation and sea breezes do not mix well…"

Mara did not have any more dreams in her own hammock that night.

* * *

"Captain Jones!" the sound of an angry crew member resonated through the wooden door as Mara and Tristan were exchanging funny stories of birthday memories. They both stood to their feet.

"What be your purpose?" Mara yelled back at him.

"Trespasser, captain," he yelled.

Mara and Tristan exchanged a confused look to each other.

"My pistol," she exclaimed.

"Mara-."

"I always make sure that blood shed is necessary, do I not?" she said, extending her fingers to the other side of the room where her pistol lay.

"One fight without killing, that's all I ask," he begged.

Mara elbowed him in the gut, causing him to fall back and she picked up her pistol and put it in her holster on her waist.

"You know you're still my best friend, right?" she nodded.

"Of course," he coughed and nodded.

She kicked the door open with her foot and stepped very slowly and menacingly up the stairs.

"Who have we got here, boys?" she asked, her hand firmly on the scabbard on the other side of her waist.

"We woke up and saw him on the wheel," a crew member said.

"I'd like to know exactly how he managed to do that," she demanded, "There's no port on all sides for miles."

"We just found him and tied him up for you, captain," a crew member soluted to her.

There was a boy, not so skinny, but not so built. His skin was pale and his hands were behind his back. His face was covered by a burlap bag. He was wearing a green rag as a shirt with a brown dirty vest. There was a belt at his waist with brown pants that lead to old looking shoes.

"Remove it!" she commanded.

A crew member came up behind him and ripped the bag off his face, revealing a man's face with a boy's spirit and a broad bone structure that formed into a devilish grin. He looked like the face of evil itself trapped within a handsome figure. With one look at him, Mara swung her hand back and gave him a severe slap to the face.

"So you remember me," he chuckled.

"Except you were shorter…. scrawnier… younger... it's hard to believe that you're all grown up..." Mara scowled at him, "What are you doing here Peter Pan?"

Peter Pan laughed. His voice was deeper, stronger, throatier now. He was also a lot bigger.

"I seek no quarrel with you, my dear Mara Emily," he said with a grin, "My purposes lie with your father."

"Well you seem to be out of luck," she spat, "My father's not here. He's gone."

"Gone?" he raised his eyebrows, "What a shame."

"How did you get off that god forsaken island?" she snapped, "I thought you'd never leave from there as long as you lived. You said yourself that growing up was your greatest fear."

"I've got myself some pixie dust to get me wherever whenever I want," he said, "Now that I'm off the island, I'm a bit older. I find that I'm actually stronger than I was before. I thought I'd take a little journey to the Jolly Roger and pay Captain Hook a visit."

"Well I'm no Captain Hook…" she said, drawing her sword and pointing it inches away from his neck, "Release him."

"No need."

Pan brought his hands out in front of him and drew his sword, "You honestly think simple ropes could bind me."

"No matter…" she said, grazing her sword against his so it made a menacing sound, "This is exactly the kind of match I've been waiting for."

"Let us begin then."

They were both the first to clash swords with each other. They circled around each other and then immediately strike at each other several times, each of them precise and accurate. It made a sharp clashing sound that could impress even the craftiest of swordsmen. They continued to circle each other like hungry lions preparing to strike, but the tension between the clashes of their swords could set off fireworks. When Mara raised her arm and Pan's sword struck hers, they stood incredibly close together. Peter raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Exceptional work."

"Now is not the time for chatter, don't you think?"

Mara pushed him back away from her and they continued their duel. She was much too strong for him as she backed him up towards the stern of the boat until his back touched the door to the lower deck. Suddenly, he shot up into the air, a trail of shiney dust trailing behind him and he plopped back onto his feet on the deck with a thud, causing a gasp out of the crew members. Neither of them let the reactions of the men distract them and they continued to clash swords with each other. With one swing of her sword, Mara aimed to cut him right across his chest, but he shot up into the air again, resting on a wooden log that held up the sail. Mara grabbed onto a rope and kicked the metal piece with her foot which caused her to shoot up into the air as well.

"You didn't think it was going to be THAT easy, did you?" she spat, her feet firmly on the wood with no intention of losing her balance as the high altitude wind blew threw her hair.

"Not at all," he cheered, "I just like a challenge."

The fight continued, both equally as talented as the other. However, without any effort from her sword, Mara reached her hand out to Peter Pan and grabbed him by his shirt tightly and firmly, pulling him towards her. The sudden change of balance made it easy enough for both of them to slip and fall. Mara dropped her sword straight down and grabbed the other rope while they swung down back onto the deck; Pan landing on his back and Mara jumping down on her feet with just enough time to grab her sword and hold the blade up to his neck.

"Go on then," he said, breathing heavily, "Do it… kill me."

"Mara don't!" Tristan's voice yelled from the starboard side of the ship.

She looked into his devil eyes, the eyes that she wanted so desperate to stab out with her sword. She wanted to see his body floating to the top of the ocean, but something about Tristan's voice gave her a tugging feeling inside of throat as she pressed the blade closer against his neck.

"You came for Hook… he's not here, nor will he be anytime soon," Mara sighed, "Fly off this ship and never come back… in return I'll spare your life."

"And what if I say no?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Mara pressed the sword closer to his neck, which caused Pan to gasp, "Alright fine," he choked, "I'm gone."

She put her sword back in the scabbard and got back up on her feet, leaving Pan to fend for himself as he scrambled to his feet.

"It's been a pleasure with fighting someone of real talent," he soluted her before looking up into the sky. The boy stood completely still, no sign of dust anywhere around him.

"Get out of here, then," she demanded.

"Don't think I'm not trying," he snapped, still looking at the sky. He ran over to the upper deck and then jumped straight up into the air, then falling on his face soon after, "I don't understand…"

"You can't fly?" Mara groaned, "Perfect..."

"The Pixie Dust must be wearing off…"

"Well there are three options you can take here," Mara said, pacing in circles around Peter's body that lay on the wooden floor, "You can either jump overboard, learn to fly, or I can kill you here and now."

"Okay, the answer to option 1 is no, option 2 is impossible without pixie dust, and I'm not very fond of option 3," he shrugged.

Mara groaned and threw her head back in utter disgust and annoyance. Tristan was immediately by her side seconds later.

"You are not killing him this time, Mara," he said, placing his hand gently on her shoulder as he stood with his back to Pan, "We're not on any kind of mission are we? Let's just take the boy to Neverland on our own."

"No!" Mara protested, "I have that bean for one reason and I am NOT about to use it on Peter Pan!"

"What if I told you I may have seen your father in Neverland, Jones?" Peter said from the ground.

Tristan knelt down beside him and helped the boy up onto his feet.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You said yourself you came to my ship to find him, now you're all of a sudden saying that he's in Neverland?" Mara spat, "Besides... my father abandoned us."

"I'm well aware, but I saw him once in Neverland," he repeated annoyingly, "We haven't had the fortunate displeasure of crossing blades with each other, so after quite some time I thought I'd have an old conversation with the man, but I assumed he wouldn't spend an awful amount of time there, so I figured he'd be here by now, turns out he's not so there's a slight chance that he might still be there."

Mara looked at him for a moment, pressing her lips together. This could be her chance to get that life she wanted back. There would be no more sad dreams. Most of her memories could remain happy rather than sad. What Mara wanted more than anything was to see her mother and father one last time, this was her chance. But Peter Pan was well known to her family as sneaky, manipulative and an all around liar. There was one way to figure out if he was lying or not. She removed the necklace from around her neck and placed it on her palm firmly. She pressed the shell to the boy's head, who looked curiously at her as she examined it intensely.

"If the necklace is warm, he's telling the truth," Mara explained, not breaking her focus, "If it turns cold, he's lying."

She waited a moment. Some part of her heart wanted to move on from this and forget Pan ever said anything, but another part of her really wanted to see her father again no matter what the cost. The latter turned out to be a bit more of a reality as Mara felt her palm warming against his forehead.

"Warm," she said quietly, removing it from his forehead and wrapping it back around her neck.

"So Hook really is alive and well in Neverland," Tristan said.

Mara looked at her friend for a moment. He had never once seen her so enveloped in fear and nervousness. This meant something to her. It was more than just a silly quest to get gold this time, this was much bigger than that.

"Alright, new deal," she said, "I will bring you back to Neverland where you will stay… if you help me find my father."

"You want ME to help YOU?" Peter laughed.

Mara drew her sword and pointed it at him once again, "because you now know how easy it will be for me to kill you."

Peter rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Fine then. Set sail to Neverland."

"Captain!" a crew member shouted.

First an invade by Peter Pan, then she is forced to keep him in order to find her father. What else could possibly be going wrong now? she thought angrily.

"Another ship!" he shouted again.

Tristan handed Mara a telescope and she looked through it to find a ship with white sails and a red flag flowing in the wind.

"Men!" she called, "Prepare for battle!"


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: You guys are really awesome. Keep those reviews, follows, and favorites coming! The more you guys show your support, the faster I update. Seeing how much you love this story inspires me to keep writing.**

* * *

"Load the cannons! Sharpen your swords! Remember, the Jolly Roger takes no prisoners without my consent!" Mara always loved saying that last part before a battle. Tristan was originally a 'prisoner' of some sort who was merely on the ship to discover a better life for a few simple weeks. Now he was the most important part of her ship, and letting him go would be the worst thing that could ever happen to her.

"What's our protocol, captain?" Peter asked, sharpening his sword with a small rock he found on deck.

"Fight to kill," she said, pulling out her pistol.

"Mara Emily Jones," Peter laughed, "Considering how innocently sweet you were as a child, I never thought you'd be the killing type."

"Oh please," she scoffed, "You know how the waters work… you either kill or be killed."

"Now we see things the same way," Peter grinned, "At last."

"Imagine the pure joy I feel in my soul," Mara snorted.

"Hey I'm just extending a friendly hand here," he added, "even though you tried to kill me not 5 minutes ago."

"Peter Pan… an outgoing and friendly personality?" she questioned, "I don't see it."

"Well we are going to be voyaging together for some time-."

"Not for long, Pan. Neverland is not a long journey, you realize."

"No matter… I'd just like to be on the good side of the person who can easily kill me."

Mara chuckled and walked away, finding Tristan on the port side, looking at the ship that was approaching.

"You ready for this?" Mara asked.

"I'm never ready to kill anyone, my dear," he muttered.

"Then why are you on this ship?" she inquired before laughing and walking away from him.

Tristan watched her as she walked up the steps to the upper deck and began to turn the wheel with such grace, such power and ferocity. Most women are supposed to be quiet, well mannered, dainty, polite and sweet. Tristan thought once as a boy that he would find a nice girl who would obey his every word and simply hold his arm when meeting royals, but things had changed. It had been nearly 6 years since he last visioned a girl he might fall in love with. The vision he had now was a woman, not a girl, but a woman, who was strong, passionate, ruthless, courageous, and witty. He would dream of a woman with long black hair and eyes as blue as the sea. His mind often imagined a woman who wore black pants, boots and shirt with a blue vest over it. His fascinations now rested with the idea of someone who could be his friend, not just his lover.

"Because my heart is here," he said quietly to himself.

The sound of a distant cannon broke the concentration of several crew members aboard the Jolly Roger.

"It's time, mates," Mara said with a grin.

The two ships began to sail towards each other with great speed. Once they reached each other, Mara got a good look at the crew. They were strong, well built men who were covered in grease and dirt. Their shirts were off and they raised their swords in the air as they shouted at the Jolly Roger. The fighting started the second a crew member from the other ship came aboard Mara's ship. Several of the Jolly Roger crew members swung over to the opposing ship and began to fight. Mara stayed at the wheel, watching the fighting ensue. Everyone seemed just fine on their own, even Pan. Watching Pan fight on her side was a change. She noticed how gifted he was a fighter as she was. He wasn't even fooling around at any given point. He was always on his toes, ready for any competitor, ready to defend this ship. It was heroic and brave of him, she thought. Mara turned her attention elsewhere and saw Tristan on the other ship. Through the ropes, she could see him in combat. Her grip tightened on the wheel when she saw him against three other men, clearly losing this battle.

"Come on, Tristan," she whispered, her hand shaking even though she grabbed onto the wheel as tightly as she could. But it wasn't getting any better. They were stronger than him, it was easy to tell. She couldn't just stand there and watch him die. He would be too afraid to kill his competitors himself. She ran to the edge of the boat, grabbed a rope and swung over to the other ship, kicking one of Tristan's enemies in the head so he fell over.

"Mara, what are you doing?!" he yelled.

"Saving your goddamn life!" she yelled back, stabbing another man in the stomach until he fell onto his knees, "I'd rather see YOU alive than them. Understand?"

He nodded and continued to fight other people. Tristan was right to struggle though. The big man he was fighting was a worthy opponent. He was much bigger, stronger and more fierce. He had death written all over his face. Mara would never give up. She would keep fighting because that's what she does best. The big man grabbed her by her arm and threw her onto the lower deck just outside the door to below deck. Her vision was clouded as she saw only blurred figures clashing swords together. The sound was muffled to her.

In front of her, she saw a pair of grey boots walk in front of her. Suddenly, she was pulled up by her arm until she was forced to kneel in front of a man. His breath was vile. His teeth were yellow. His hair was sleek and pulled back. His face, however, was handsome, but he looked rotten and evil.

"Do not try and fight back, little princess," he said in a low and deep voice.

Mara spat back in his face. The man laughed.

"If you do not surrender yourself now, I will kill any of your men on my ship," he threatened.

Mara could only think of one face on this ship that she did not want to discover at the bottom of the ocean, so she did not move.

"Good," he chuckled and picked her up on her feet, dragging her below deck.

* * *

The waters were calm, the sun was setting, and the opponent's ship was a few miles away from the Jolly Roger, which rested peacefully in the waters. The men were all resting on the deck, healing their wounds or re-sharpening their swords. Peter looked around for a moment before heading over to the door to Mara's quarters. Tristan stood in front of him almost instantly.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked angrily.

"Is Mara in there?" Peter asked sternly, "Don't you think it's a little strange that we haven't seen her in a while?"

"That's because they took her," Tristan said solemnly, "I saw it happen right before my very eyes."

"So you let us surrender?!" Peter shouted, "You let them take her?"

"Their captain said that if she willingly went with them, we would all be spared," he argued, "she wanted that, she gave in, she wanted US to live."

"Alright then," Peter sighed, "Then let's go and get her."

"Are you crazy?" Tristan laughed, "You saw how we lost today. If we hadn't surrendered, we'd all be paying Davy Jones a visit."

"Is she or is she not your friend?" Peter asked, "She did this for you, how could you not see that?"

"I do see that!" he spat.

"Then why are you all sitting here resting?!"

"If anyone is going to go and get her, it's me… but I need rest first. We're a bit tired from today's events and we all need to be strong if we're going to get her back."

"Well then you're all lazy cowards," Peter scoffed, "If it were you in there instead of her, she wouldn't rest until you were back on this ship without anyone following you. Can't you extent to her that same courtesy?"

"Even she would object to us going on a mission in the state that we're all in," he argued, stepping closer to Peter, "You can't tell me what she would or would not do, Pan. You don't know a damn thing about her."

"Do I?" he challenged, raising his eyebrows. He began to circle him like a shark ready to attack, "You may know what makes her strong, but I know what makes her weak… she becomes vulnerable whenever someone she cares about is in danger. I also know that whenever a bigger man approaches her, she becomes weaker for some reason."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tristan hissed.

"Does it?" Peter replied, "When Mara was only 10 years old, she, her father, and mother fought against me and my lost boys in Neverland. She fought brilliantly and well against them, however, once she stood up against my bigger members, she fought as well as she could, but it wasn't enough. Her father had to save her."

"That was 7 years ago," he argued.

"But she fought against that man today and guess what? She fell," he added, "Now if you'll excuse me-."

"Where are you going, Pan?" Tristan fumed.

"I'M going to get my captain back, how about you?" Peter sassed.

Peter got the small boat from the side of the ship and maneuvered himself inside before lowering it. Tristan laughed, "Your funeral."

* * *

Mara had her hands chained to a wooden pole in the captain's quarters. It was dark outside and the moon wasn't visible through the windows. The bed was extravagant and neatly made, the table that stood in front of the bed was filled with fruits and fine jewels, and there were candles lit everywhere. There was one symbol that was scattered about most of the cabin; the letter "J" surrounded by flames. Mara tugged against her chains, but it only burned scratched her skin more the more she tried to set herself free. She eventually grew out of breath and she imagined her wrists to be weak and red, possibly a few cuts on them.

The cabin door opened and J came in with a white cloth in his hand. He had a piece of wheat of some sort in his mouth that he twisted with his lips as he stalked towards her.

"What do you want with me?" Mara demanded.

J came very close to her and grazed his fingers against her chin, tilting her head up.

"I will release you from these chains if you behave," he said smoothly.

"And what if I decide to escape?" she hissed.

"I will shoot you," he said with a grin.

Mara looked at him up and down, then sighed, "Fine. Just get these things off me."

J went behind her. There was a clicking sound before Mara felt the cold rings leave her skin. The air was unfamiliar to her wrists at this point and she grabbed them with her hands to examine the red and swelling skin.

"Here," J said, throwing the white cloth at her, "You will wear this for me tonight."

Mara caught the white fabric in her hands and let it drop while she held the top of it. It was a white dress, quite thin and expensive looking. There was no use arguing against him, he would just pull his gun on her and she'd give in.

"Can you at least do me the honor of leaving the room so I can change in private?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded and walked backwards out of the door before shutting it in front of him, his silhouette still visible from inside the room.

Mara stripped of her vest, black shirt, tight black pants and boots before slipping into the silky white material she held in her hands. It was cold and slippery, not to mention very shiny. She stuck her head through the bottom of the dress and let the softness envelop her nervous body. The long sleeves felt like velcro against her skin. Mara walked over to the full body mirror next to the bed and gasped at the sight she saw in front of her. Dark lips and hair, blue eyes, and a pretty dress. It was unnatural, like rain on a sunny day.

The sound of the door creaked and J was back in the room, rubbing his hands together and biting his lower lip.

"Don't you look ravishing," he hummed.

He stepped closer to her, pushing her legs up against the side of the bed. His dirty fingers trailed up from her side to her chest while Mara held her breath. His rough skin touched her smooth chest and marveled at the small shell around her neck.

"This is not ordinary necklace, is it?" he asked, his breath fogging her vision.

"You can have it in exchange for my freedom," she offered, tilting her face away from him.

"No…" he whispered, "What I want is much more valuable than that."

His rough hand suddenly grabbed onto Mara's waist and his dirty mouth found her neck. Mara wanted to scream out in terror at the displeasure of being smothered unwillingly by a ferocious beast such as this. Her skin was trembling and she had never felt so weak in her entire life.

"Captain!" a man's voice shouted from the deck. J lifted his head and snarled to himself before touching Mara's cheek and leaving the room.

Mara gasped and sat back down on the bed, clutching her hand to her heart. There was a small ticking at the window, as if someone was throwing stones at it. She stood up and stared at the dark window. It began to turn open. After what had just happened, Mara was grateful for anything but J to enter into the quarters and save her from this madness. A hand reached for the ledge of the window sill as it pulled up the rest of its body. Peter Pan's head peaked from outside.

"Mara?" he called.

"Shhh!" she hushed, running to the window, "Peter, keep your voice down. He left the door open."

"How about giving me a pull then?" he asked, reaching his other hand for her.

Mara grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room. He fell in with a thud, Mara tumbling after him.

"What exactly are you even wearing?" he laughed, touching the hem of her long dress.

She rolled her eyes, "He forced me to or he'd kill me."

"Not exactly a HARSH punishment if you ask me," he teased and she smacked him on the arm.

The sound of footsteps slowly approached the room. Peter scrambled to his hands and knees and hid behind the bed while Mara jumped to her feet and stood back where J had left her.

"What is all the noise going on in here?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head quickly.

He hummed to himself, placing his hand to his chin as she stroked it, trying to see if anything had changed. After fixating on one specific spot, he touched Mara on her shoulder and whispered, "How did the window get open?"

Before she could answer, Pan arose from behind the bed, his sword point in J's direction.

"I _made_ it open," he answered, "I've been known to do that for quite some time now, actually."

"Peter Pan," J scowled.

"Ah!" he laughed, "So you've heard of me?"

"Every pirate on the damned seas knows who you are, boy."

"Excellent. We can skip the formalities and go straight to the part where my captain slits your throat."

"Or the other way around."

J drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist and the two of them swung at each other from across the bed. Mara bent down on the floor as the two men fought above her. She grabbed her clothes and wrapped them in a ball. Her sword and pistol were on the table just in front of her.

"Hey you!" J shouted.

Mara grabbed her pistol and in a moment of action, she pulled the trigger three times. J went cross eyed before he went weak at the knees and fell on top of Mara's body.

"Mara!" Peter called.

He ran to her side, taking her hand and helping her up as she trembled at the disgusting man who lay on top of her.

"Hey Mara," he hushed, placing his hands on her cheeks, "Look at me… I'm not exactly the first face you'd want to see right now, but I'm all you got… get your things and let's get out of here before the crew realizes what you've done."

She nodded without saying and word. Peter took her hand and led her to the window. About 30 feet below was the little boat that would carry them home.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, wrapping his hand tightly around her waist.

Mara looked at him and said very hesitantly, "Do you think I'm in the mood to trust people right now?"

"Too late," he shrugged before jumping off the ledge, taking Mara with him until they both landed on their feet inside the boat.

"Ouch!" she shouted as her barefeet hit the wood. She fell back on the seat in pain.

"Sorry," Peter said, dusting himself off, "but wasn't that quite the adventure?"

Mara pressed her lips together and stared into the water, "Thank you, Peter… you didn't have to save me."

"No problem," he said, taking the ors and rowing gently away from the ship, "In exchange for my services, however, you have to answer one question for me."

"UGH!" she groaned, "I am SO sick of making deals with people ALL the damn time!"

Peter laughed and shook his head, "No matter. Why do bigger people like him intimidate you? It's not big people like Tristan or myself. You don't fear us. But you feared that captain back there… why?"

She sighed and tapped her foot, making a sound against the wood, "I don't know if I should be telling you this…"

"Nobody else is here… I have no intentions of telling anybody," he shrugged, "Let's start a new bond of trust between us. I save your life, you tell me a secret."

Mara shook her head and rubbed her palm against her forehead, "It's a bit more complicated than you'd think, Peter... I'm not ALWAYS that strong girl who fights harder than any man. I'm not always brave enough to face anyone who towers over me... because not even my father could stand up to a giant like that... he almost died twice because of it before I was born..." there was a pause as Peter stopped rowing and let the small boat just float there in the water, "I'm supposed to be ruthless and unashamed... like my dad... but I'm still afraid I'm not strong enough to take on somebody like that... It's my weakness... Like I just know I'll lose going into that fight."

"But you did anyway... to save Tristan," he breathed.

"He would have died," she muttered, "I wasn't just going to let him suffer there… he is my dearest friend, after all."

"Your dearest friend?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "My dear Miss Jones, I believe there is INDEED a heart somewhere deep inside you."

"Oh shut up, I can still slit your throat and let you sink to the bottom of the ocean as shark food."

"And she's back," he laughed, picking the ors back up and rowing towards the ship, "but you ARE stronger than you think… even if you don't believe it. I mean, were you not present when you shot that man down? It was… stunning, actually."

"Thank you, Peter," she said with a soft smile.

They continued the short journey to the Jolly Roger, eventually hearing the calls of the crewmembers as they pulled the boat back up onto the deck.

"Mara?" Tristan's voice called as he shoved through the other men.

"Tristan!" she gasped as she ran into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck and hugging him very tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alive right now," he breathed into her shoulder.

"I'm lucky," she said, breaking from the hug but still keeping her arms where they were, "If Peter hadn't saved me I don't know what they would have done to me by morning."

Tristan sighed and looked over at Peter, "Is that so?"

"Looks like my instincts were right," Peter said proudly.

"I guess so," he nodded, "Thank you for saving her. I would never forgive myself if I had been the one to let her die."

"Don't mention it," he said, raising his eyebrows and casually walking until he was no longer in sight of Tristan or Mara.

"Peter-" Mara called.

"Mara," Tristan hushed, placing her hand in his, "You need rest. That is the most important thing right now.

"No, Tristan, you don't understand-."

"I understand you, and you're stubborn," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "You are dressed comfortably enough that you should be able to get a full night's rest before we start looking for your father tomorrow."

Mara looked from the direction Peter went and back to Tristan, who was close enough that she could feel his warm breath against her cheeks.

"Fine…" she whispered, "Let's go."

With his arm rested securely around her shoulder, they proceeded into the lower deck where Mara would forget about her previous birthday memories because this had been the most memorable. Whether that was good or bad would never be clear to her.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: I have nothing really to say besides the usual 'review, follow, favorite' you know the drill. I'm so glad I don't have to say "10 reviews or else I won't update" because you guys are awesome. **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

The morning had come just as smoothly as ever before. This time Mara had longed to feel the warmth of the sun on her face rather than feeling the coolness the moon provided. This particular morning happened to be much warmer than usual, possibly because she had hoped for a much more peaceful morning compared to a rough night the previous night. Mara was covered in white silks from the dress that the strange captain had given her. She turned over in her hammock and realized she had a lot less space than she had expected. Next to her was Tristan, sleeping peacefully with one hand behind his head and the other around her shoulder. It was sweet that he stayed by her side while she was weak, she thought.

Mara rested her hand against Tristan's chest and tapped it a few times, smiling very softly and whispering, "Tristan… wake up," several times.

Eventually, the young man slowly opened his eyes until he blinked several times and stretched out his arms over his head.

"Hey," he yawned, "You okay?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do," he whispered, "Considering I sort of left you for dead."

"You're forgiven," she said, patting his chest softly, "but it's time to end this state of pity and move on… we're going to Neverland now."

"Now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The bean is in my vest pocket," she said, indicating her pile of clothes on the floor beneath them.

"Alright then," he shrugged, "Let's do it."

Tristan rolled over until he fell off the hammock and landed on his two feet. Mara followed him shortly after.

"Prepare the crew," she said, picking up her black leather pants, "I'm going to change out of this gown."

"You know, Mara… when you wear that, you look like a prin-."

"Don't say it," Mara halted, covering his mouth to her hand, "Just do as I say and prepare the crew. I may be your friend, but I'm still your captain."

Tristan sighed as Mara slowly moved her hand away, "Aye captain," he nodded.

He picked up his jacket and fastened the buckles before going up onto the deck and shouting, "Alright men! Get up! It's time to set sail! Captain's orders!""

Mara sighed approvingly and changed back into her normal clothes. It felt so much better to be in clothes that hugged her skin perfectly, that didn't make her feel like a china doll, and had enough room for her to keep her sword and pistol. Finally, she ted her hair back into a high ponytail with a ribbon, her long black hair hanging down like a waterfall.

She kicked the door open and huffed proudly as she stepped onto the deck to the sound of crewmembers shouting at each other as they dropped the sails.

"You've tied up your hair," Peter's voice called from behind her.

Mara turned around and saw Peter, leaning steadily against the wheel. She chuckled and met him on the upper deck, "It was only in my way."

"Then why not cut it entirely off?" he suggested, grabbing a strand of hair and stroking it softly as he admired the strength of it.

"I could never have the guts to do that," she laughed, "I've always hated having my hair cut."

"No matter," he sighed, "You look nice right now anyway."

Mara raised her eyebrows, walking behind him and placing her hand on the wheel, "Flattering won't get you anywhere, Peter Pan."

"Then what will get me somewhere?" he asked, placing his hand firmly on the handle.

"Helping me lead this ship to Neverland," she said.

"Fine," he nodded, "Hand me that bean."

Mara raised her eyebrows at him.

"Oh come on," he sighed, "Don't you trust me? I DID save your life last night, after all."

She looked between the ocean, her ship, the wheel and then back at Peter again. She nodded and picked through the inside of her vest to find a buttoned up pocket. Inside was a small white, transparent bean. Mara held it in her hand tightly, feeling the warmth of it. The last time she touched it was when Killian gave it to her. The words he spoke as he placed it in her palm rung through the wind.

"Sail the mightiest oceans, play amongst the highest stars… with that bean, you can do anything your heart desires…"

Mara squeezed it in her hand and held her fist out to Peter, opening it slowly, finger by finger. He smiled, picked it up with two fingers, and didn't even hesitate to throw it back into the water.

"Would you like to do the honors?" he asked Mara.

"Why yes," she said with a playful curtsey, then holding the wheel firmly in both her hands, "Next stop, Neverland!"

The ocean then started to tremble as it broke into a vortex that swirled with a white light that consumed it. "All hands on deck!" Mara shouted as she spun the wheel and the ship headed towards the swirling pool of water. Every single man on the ship held on to either a rope, the side of the boat or simply went below deck. The ship quickly dropped and it was surrounded by water swirling in a circle around them. Mara had the biggest smile on her face and Peter grinned at her; he was proud.

The Jolly Roger raced through the water until he went into an upward curve and rested on the waters of Neverland in the dark of night. Mara got one look at the island, and suddenly her heart sank.

"Peter…" she said quietly, "What happened to this place? It's… dark."

"You've never seen it like this?" he asked.

"When I was a child… it was always light and warm here."

"Things change," he shrugged, "When lost boys turn against their leader, darkness becomes stronger than light."

Mara sighed heavily then head down the steps, "Men!" she shouted, "Get the boats!"

"Aye!" they shouted after her.

While the men scurried along the cabin to the lifeboats, Mara came to the deck to find Tristan, who was rotating the metal wheel to drop the anchor.

"Need help?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?" he laughed.

She shook her head and took the other side of the wheel. They pushed together until the chain had completely unraveled itself. They both stood up straight, rubbing their hands together and cracking a few bones in their finger, shoulders and neck.

"Let's go get Hook," Tristan said, patting Mara's back.

"And mom too…" she said, "They never left each other's side… not unless they were forced apart. I'd like to think she's on that island too."

"Whatever gives you hope," he said softly, taking her hand in his.

She hesitated and casually pulled her hand away from his before heading off to the boat.

Two boats that had a select few of the crew in one and Peter, Mara and Tristan in another had set sail in the calm, deep blue, waters of Neverland. Peter looked very pensive into the ripples of the water and Mara instantly noticed his expression.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Something's not right here," he said, grazing his fingertips against the water.

"What?" Tristan asked, slowing the pace of his rowing.

"Usually when new ships come to Neverland, the mermaids are quick to discover them before they even get to see the island," he said.

"So no mermaids?" Tristan shrugged, "Works for me. We don't need anyone trying to interrupt our path."

"but that means they could come out quicker, when we least expect it, and they'll be stronger," Peter argued.

"This IS his island after all, Tristan," Mara said, "We should probably listen to him."

"You still trust him?" Tristan asked, "After all he's done to your father and mother."

"He saved my life," she spat, "I owe him my trust."

Tristan bit his lip angrily and turned the other direction, rowing towards the island without paying any mind to Peter and Mara who were staring very quizzically at the water. He had assumed that after that night they spent in each other's arms, Mara would be his and no one else's. It was remarkable what a rescue mission can do to someone's better judgement, he thought. It was noble of Peter to go after Mara when no one else would, but Tristan wasn't buying that he did it out of the compassion of his heart. He believed Pan had some other motive. Pan always does. Mara was blind not to see that.

"You are angry about something…" a whispering voice said to Tristan. He jumped and looked all around until he saw a woman in the water. Her hair was dirty blonde, her eyes were bright blue, her lips were pink and thin and her skin was pale, "Don't tell the others about me… I just want to talk to you…"

Tristan obeyed, "How do you know I am angry?"

"I see it in your eyes," she said, clinging onto the side of the boat, "Your beautiful maiden has her eyes set elsewhere."

He chuckled, "She is no maiden and she would NEVER have her eyes on him like that."

The woman shrugged, "Suit yourself. I AM a mermaid after all. We know when we see true love."

"I'm just going to ignore you," he said, looking towards the island.

The woman touched Tristan's hand and he froze and looked at her.

"You could have everything you could ever want, Tristan…" she said very mysteriously, "If you just listen to me… everything will be just as you wish."

Suddenly, a sound that was almost un-human came from her lips. It was a song, but it was enchanting to Tristan. The words were like small pearls, gentle, delicate, and precious. They lured him closer and closer to the woman, as if she was an exciting story that he just had to read.

The song was interrupted when the woman's eyes turned red and her sharp razor teeth were bared, but it wasn't in Tristan's direction. She was looking to the back of the boat. He turned around and saw Mara with her sword, swinging it down on the mermaid and chopping off her hand that was on Tristan. The mermaid made a very ear shattering shriek and fell back into the water. Mara picked up the hand and threw it back into the ocean after her. Peter and Tristan both stood there with a very shocked expression at the display that had just unfolded before their very eyes.

"Well… that was impressive," Peter said, "I've never seen such a brief fight between a mermaid and a human. Normally, they're quite persistent."

"Nobody messes with my friends," she said, drawing her sword back.

"I believe you," he chuckled.

"Thanks Mara," Tristan said, touching her wrist.

"I'm not losing you to any mermaids anytime soon, my friend," she nodded, "You would have done the same for me."

"Now row on," Peter demanded, "We're almost there."

"WAIT!" a girl's voice shouted.

All three of them tensed up as Mara drew her knife from her pocket. She crept over to the edge of the boat and saw another woman's face in the water, holding onto the rim of the boat.

"Oh my!" Mara gasped, "Ariel?"

"Hi Mara," Ariel said with a wide smile.

"What are you doing here?" Mara chuckled, giving the mermaid a hug.

"I saw Crystal coming down into the water and her hand was missing," Ariel said.

"Oh… was she your friend? I'm so-."

"Don't be," she shrugged, "Crystal has a black heart and she's vile of soul. She deserved it."

"Oh good," Mara sighed.

"But I saw her without one hand and after I thought about it, I knew there was only one person brave enough to do that," she continued, "The daughter of Captain Hook and Emma."

"It's wonderful to see you again," Mara smiled, "It's been, what? 6 years?"

"Seems like it," she said, "but I see you're still wearing the necklace your father had me find."

"Yes," Ariel replied, "and you know, there's more magic in that thing than you'd think."

"What do you mean?" she asked, "I know that it protects me from all magic and it can tell me when someone is lying to me, but what else is there?"

"I'm not quite sure myself," she answered, "You have to unlock it yourself."

"Do you know how I might do that?"

"Well…. you know how this island works… you have to completely honest with yourself… totally honesty is Pan's key to everything."

"She's right," Peter said proudly, "I have never once told a lie that I didn't reveal the truth at some point in the later future."

Ariel looked over at him, then back at Mara with a questioning look.

"It's alright," Mara reassured her, "he's with me. He's helping me find my father."

"What happened to him?" Ariel asked.

"I don't know, honestly," she said, "All I know is that he's been gone for 4 years. Mother too. Pan came to my ship and told me he saw father in Neverland. So I've come to see for myself."

"I hope you find him," she nodded, "And remember… there is always hope."

"Thank you, Ariel," Mara said, hugging her one last time.

She sank back down into the water.

"You trust that mermaid?" Peter asked.

"Ariel is good. She's helped us a lot before. I can trust her," Mara answered.

"Any person you trust, I trust," Peter said as Mara sat back down next to him and Tristan continued rowing.

* * *

The two boats landed on the sands of Neverland and the crew members all crowded around Tristan, Mara and Peter.

"Alright," Mara said, "Now where do we start?"

"I suggest we head to skull rock just west of here," Peter said.

"I say different," Tristan argued, "Whoever captured him and put him here is obviously not a friend of yours. If anything, they would keep him somewhere you'd think last to look."

"But I'm Peter Pan, mate," he shook his head, "I am KING of this island. Nobody hides ANYTHING from me. Skull rock is the best place to keep prisoners."

"If you haven't noticed, you've kind of betrayed your lost boys by joining forces with your enemy's daughter," Tristan said.

"Rubbish!" Peter shouted, "Pure rubbish! Even if they lost boys DID do this, which I'm not saying they did, but IF they did, they would play by my rules, otherwise there would be no game for them to play."

"This isn't a game right now, Pan," Tristan argued, "This is Mara's father. We need to find a more secure path to find him. Going to skull rock is going to get us nowhere."

"Then I'd LOVE to hear where you think we should go, since you seem to know this island so well," Peter spat.

"Echo Cave," he suggested, "That's a start."

"Echo Cave is going to get us nowhere," Peter argued, "They're not going to put him in there if it's too easy to get him out. The goal of capturing Hook in the first place is to keep him AWAY from Mara. If he's in echo cave, they want her to find him, which I doubt."

"Oh please!" Tristan spat.

"Or maybe you'd like to go just to have an excuse to tell Mara all of your little secrets," Peter laughed.

"Or maybe I would like to go there to finally hear you say that you're a liar and you can't be trusted!" he spat back.

"Both of you shut up!" Mara shouted, causing total silence to fall over the island, "Now can you PLEASE discuss our next destination like men, rather than boys?"

They both sighed and stepped back away from each other.

"What about Dark Hollow?" Tristan suggested.

"We can check there, AFTER we go to Skull Rock," Peter answered.

"Why can't we go now?" Tristan asked.

"Because I'm not going to risk Mara's soul on the slight chance that he's not there," Peter said, standing closer to Mara, "I'm not quite sure it's worth it."

Mara swallowed hard and then nodded, "He's right… Come on, Tristan. Men! We're going to Skull Rock."

The men all filed one by one, leading up to Mara, then Tristan, then Peter. The boys had insisted that they at least walk in front of her, but she was not going to tolerate any chivalry; chivalry was for princesses and Mara did NOT want to be a princess. Tristan and Peter constantly argued over her like she was the last drop of water in the entire universe. Mara didn't know why the need to be on her good side was so important. The only thing she wanted any of them to be focused on was finding Hook and getting out of there as soon as possible before dark magic comes into play, which, everyone knows Neverland is filled of. There were two boats by the shore nearest to Skull Rock and after much arguing between Tristan and Peter about who should row who to the island, Peter finally gave in and let Tristan row Mara safely to shore while he took care of the other men.

"Tristan," Mara finally said after not speaking to him for hours.

"Don't say it," he halted, "I know what you're already going to say… why is it that I insist on picking a fight with Peter."

"You are my best friend," she said, "I don't want to see you do something stupid with Peter that could get yourself killed."

"What? I don't stand a chance in combat against the great Peter Pan?" Tristan rolled his eyes.

"It's not that at all," Mara said, "I don't want either of you fighting so much that you'll do something you'll regret."

He sighed, "I'm not going to quit it with him if he insists on making me feel like a fool."

"Now how has he made you feel that way?" she questioned, "He simply has a better navigation plan, that's all."

"Yeah, that's all," he mocked under his breath.

"I trust him now, Tristan," she said, "Don't you trust me and my good opinion? My better judgement?"

"Of course I do-."

"Than you'll try and see things they way I see them," she argued, "Peter saved my life, therefore, I owe him a debt and yet here he is helping me find my father. He is doing far more than I asked him to do."

"Watch him betray us in the end," he shrugged, "If I were you, I wouldn't put my trust so quickly in his hands."

"Peter said that whoever I trust, he trusts," Mara said, "Why can't you do the same?"

Tristan sighed and looked down at the wood of the boat, utterly ashamed at his own feelings. Peter Pan was not to be trusted in his mind, but by doing that, he was pushing Mara farther and farther away from him.

"You're both strong boys with good leadership qualities, but that's not what's important right now," she said calmly, "What is important is finding my father."

"Leadership," Tristan laughed, "You think this is about who should be the leader?"

Mara raised her eyebrows, "Of course… what else would it be about, then?"

Tristan didn't answer that question. He just continued to row the boat, not looking into Mara's beautiful crystal blue eyes that seemed to enchant his body and soul. He could not tell a lie to those eyes, but how could he tell her right now of all times that he and Peter were fighting for her heart? And for what? So she can ignore them entirely and focus on finding Hook with a slightly preoccupied mind? Distracting Mara wasn't worth it. She worked best with one focus and one focus only. Maybe once all was said and done, he would tell her how he felt, but not now, not when they were so close to possibly finding her father. He would have to be patient. Tristan would wait forever for her, and that was a promise he had kept to himself for 4 years.


	6. Chapter 5

The boats docked on the grainy shore of Skull Rock. Mara had never been to this part of the island before because Emma and Killian never let her. There were torches lit and a single staircase which seemed like the only option to take. Mara drew her sword as she looked at the winding staircase whose end wasn't visible. Tristan and Peter drew their swords as well once Mara took the first step onto the stairs.

"Tristan," Mara called, "Take the men, scatter them around the shore and the perimeter too. We don't want to be followed or taken by surprise."

"Aye captain," he nodded, "You heard her! Scatter around the perimeter. You there! Take guard by the stairs with me!"

He nodded back at Mara as she and Peter then marched up the stairs

The stairs lead to a very wide open space with two circles that exposed the moonlight to the cave. It must have been the eyes of the skull, Mara thought. There was an hour glass that was completely empty from what it seemed.

"Peter?" Mara asked cautiously, "What is this?"

Mara approached the tall golden figure that reflected the light against her skin.

"This is Neverland's magic," he said, tapping the glass, "It used to hold my power inside it, but now my power is never ceasing."

"Wow…" she said, placing her hand on the glass. Suddenly, dust came off from the sides and began to circle around like birds in flight, or like a dance of some sort.

"Amazing," Peter gasped, "It hasn't moved for years."

"You mean it moves?"

"It used to. Constantly. Now it kind of sits against the walls, waiting for something to happen, as if the magic has been put to mute or something… it's just amazing, that's all."

"Amazing?" Mara asked, keeping her hand firmly pressed against the glass.

"It's like the magic has some kind of natural reaction to you or something," he breathed, watching the dust fly, "Mara… you're magic!"  
"Excuse me?" Mara asked, blinking twice at him.

"You are pure magic," he said, getting so excited that he jumped up and spun around. He then ran straight to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Just with the simplest touch you can make the magic come to life."

"So what? I can do spells and stuff?" she asked.

"You can do anything," he said delightfully, "But it's locked up inside you… we just need to figure out how to unlock it."

"Unlock magic? In me? Peter-."

Mara's arms were grabbed by Peter and he picked her up and spun her around in several circles while she giggled in delight.

"Do you know what this means?" he shouted, "You can restore the magic back to Neverland."

"I can?" she said with more curiosity in her voice.

"You can!"

He began to pick her up and spin her in circles again as they danced together playfully amongst the rocks that surrounded them and with each other. They felt as light as air, like they were dancing amongst the clouds with the moon greeting them as an old friend. Her spirit lit something in him; something that he did not yet know how to explain. No matter how much aging and de-aging he had been through, his heart had never quite quivered in this way before as he spun with the smiling angel before him. She was the key to his magic and all magic in his home. She was their princess. A princess of Neverland.

Peter spun Mara out until her she was face to face with the glass. When she opened her eyes, however, what she saw made her gasp so loudly that you would have thought she was stabbed directly in the heart.

The figure of Killian Jones was standing, completely petrified and pale, inside the hour glass as the dust surrounded him, holding completely still. His eyes were closed and his arms were at his side, his sword in his hand. Mara could feel her entire body trembling, shaking as Peter held onto her arm. A tear fell down her cheek.

"D-Daddy…" she gasped, completely charging towards the glass and throwing her entire body against it, causing the dust to spin rapidly around him, "Daddy! Who did this to you!?"

She began to fall on her knees and cry into her hand, the other one still firmly placed on the glass. Peter pressed his lips together, took a deep breath, and kneeled down beside her.

"Mara…" he whispered, "He's still alive."

She nodded, the tears making her eyes red, "I know…" she whispered back, "I just… I'm just so happy he's alive… but I hate myself for not believing that he would never leave me on purpose."

Peter rubbed her back and held her close to his chest, hushing her as she cried into his shoulder. There had never been a girl so close to him in his entire life, and yet he knew exactly how to solve this problem; how to make her feel better.

"But you're the key, Mara," he said reassuringly, "Remember? You're still magic, we just have to figure out how to unlock it… and I know just the place to start."

"Where?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Dead man's peak," he said, standing her up on her feet.

"Well that sounds inviting," she shrugged.

He laughed and placed his hands on her cheeks, "Dead man's peak is the heart of Neverland. There's a waterfall there that is completely laced with Neverland's magic… if you drink it… you might be able to channel in some of that magic."

"Really?" she asked, a small smile growing on her face.

"And then you can have the power to free your father."

Mara wrapped her arms around Peter's neck and hugged him very tightly.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

He nodded and the two of them quickly headed down the stairs.

"Tristan!" she shouted, "Tristan! Come quickly!"

"Mara?" his voice called after her.

Tristan came from behind the rocks with his sword drawn and all 10 men behind him with their teeth bared.

"I'm alright," she nodded before running towards him.

He dropped his sword and gladly accepted her into his arms as he picked her up and spun around in several small circles while she cheered.

"The most amazing thing has just happened," she breathed.

"And what would that be?" he asked, stroking the hair out of her face.

"My father… he's here," she nodded.

"He is? Where is he?" he asked, looking up the stairs.

"He's trapped… and paralyzed," Peter said, "He's bound by some sort of spell that I'm afraid only Mara can unlock."

"Mara, what is he talking about?" he asked, looking from Peter to Mara several times, "What does he mean by a spell only you can unlock?"

"There's a giant hourglass up there," she said, pointing to the stairs, "When I touched the glass with my hand, the gold dust in there started moving. Peter says it hasn't done that in years. He believes I'm some kind of key that unlocks the magic of Neverland. So we're going to Dead man's peak-."

Tristan raised his eyebrows in surprise, "That sounds inviting."

"That's what I said," Mara replied, "but there's water from the heart of the island in there. If I drink it, I may have the power to release my father from the glass without harming the magic AND free my father from the spell."

"Are you sure that will work?" Tristan asked, rubbing Mara's shoulder lightly.

"It's all we've got right now and it doesn't sound like a terrible plan," she shrugged, "I say we go for it."

He nodded, "I do too. But Mara… you really do need rest right now."

"Why?" she asked, "I feel fine."

"But if we're going to venture into the forest tonight, you're going to need to be at your strongest… as are we all," he said, looking back at the other men, "A few hours rest won't hurt anyone."

"We can camp here," Peter said, "Upstairs, specifically. Nobody will follow us this far from the mainland."

Mara looked from Peter to Tristan, both of them looking for approval in her eyes no matter which way she turned, like they were a forest enveloping her in green and brown with no other direction to turn.

"Fine," she groaned, "We can camp upstairs."

"Thank you," he said, patting her shoulder twice before jogging up the stairs. Peter shrugged and followed him soon after.

The men had made a small fire even if the giant glowing hourglass had given them all the light they could have possibly needed. Tristan liked the warm comforting feeling that a fire gave him. He was the only one who was still awake whilst he lay on the ground with his head on his emptied satchel. The sound of the fire made him feel comforted; wanted. Peter, Mara, and the other men were long asleep as far as he was concerned.

A small hand tapped him on the shoulder like the first drop of rain on a hot summer day. Tristan turned around in fear until he saw Mara kneeling at his side, her eyes red, and hair a great big mess on her head.

"Mara," he breathed, "What's wrong?"

"I c-can't sleep," she sniffed, "I just… my father is standing right there and there's nothing I can do about it for now… while I'm weak."

Tristan turned over and saw Killian, completely frozen and pale with his eyes closed and his head hanging low.

"You're never weak, Mara," he protested, "You're just human."

"Tristan," she whispered, kneeling down beside him, "Can I sleep next to you?"

He nodded, "Of course you can."

She smiled very softly, her eyes already halfway closed, as she layed on her stomach, propped up on her elbow why her hand was placed on his chest. She rested her head against it and his arm smoothly followed her lead. It was almost too easy for her to close her eyes and drift off into a brand new land of fantasy in her mind; as long as she was in Tristan's arms, she felt limitless, but centered and safe at the same time. That was a wonderful feeling of true rest. He was there. He was breathing and his heart beat was so beautifully human. Tristan was so beautifully human.

Her mind started to go numb as her breathing steadied and she drifted off into the clouds of her dreams. She was flying in the air, holding onto Peter's hand as they danced amongst the stars. It was even more magical than she had ever imagined. Feeling the wind in her face was the most unbelievable feeling in the entire world. There was suddenly something very wrong; the sound of a cannon and a red flash came from Skull Rock. Mara flew down to the island and Tristan had been slain by, what looked like, a lost boy. There was a knife in his chest and his arm was outstretched towards her. Mara reached out her hand for him, but he closed his eyes and his limbs turned lifeless. She let out a loud, ear shattering shriek as her feet touched the ground and she fell to her knees, caressing the face of her friend, her Tristan.

It felt as though she had dropped to the ground from 10,000 feet in half of a second. Her eyes shot open wide and she gasped, taking several big deep breaths, trying to regain the feeling in her heart which had nearly stopped at the sight of someone who she held so close to her, dead on the floor with no hope in his eyes; those enchanting, hopeful, wondrous hazel eyes.

Tristan was not lying on the ground where he had fallen asleep and Mara had worried that her dream has happened for a reason; that he was really dying somewhere and begging for dear life.

"Tristan…" she gasped, "Tristan!?"

He came out quickly from behind the caves, holding wood in his hands. Once he caught a glimpse of the figure who was damaged, shaking, scared, and trembling on the ground, he dropped the wood in his arms directly onto the floor and ran straight to her, kneeling beside her and holding him close to his chest. She grasped onto his shirt, breathing heavily against his shirt, breathing in the smell of his shirt, his body, his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I went to get more firewood. Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded, "I was flying.. and I found you… you had a knife in your chest… I just-."

He hushed her and kissed her forehead several times, rubbing her back, whispering words of reassurance as her breathing was steady again and her fears were calmed again.

Her glance shifted just a little bit away from Tristan when she saw an arrow sticking out from behind a rock.

"Tristan!" she shouted, throwing herself on top of him so he fell onto the ground as the arrow flew threw the air over him.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Someone else is here," she said, standing up back on her feet and grabbing her sword, "Peter! Men! Wake up!"

Peter and the other crew members began to rise out of their slumber, stretching and standing up immediately.

"We're not alone here," Mara said to Peter as he ran beside them.

Suddenly, from all corners of the cave, boys dressed similarly to Peter arose from behind the rocks, all holding weapons against their shoulders. Amongst them were a few men without shirts, but their tan skin painted with markings in red and blue.

"Men," Peter said as he approached them, "It's good to see you again."

"Enough with the friendly act, Peter," one of the lost boys said, "We all know you betrayed us and left the island for your own selfish reasons… Mara Jones, is it?"

Peter drew his sword and pointed it at the boy, "What are you playing at? I have no quarrel with you, I just want to set her father free."

"And release our greatest enemy?" he asked, "Whose side are you on? Your brothers'? or your girlfriend's?"

Tristan hesitated to launch himself forward, but Mara placed her hand in his without thinking and he calmed himself down in an instant.

"So it was you who imprisoned my father in there?" Mara asked.

The other lost boys laughed while the one replied, "We wish. We've been waiting to capture Hook for quite some time now. But no, it wasn't us. We just want to make sure nobody gets him out."

An arrow, from out of nowhere, came directly from behind them. Peter turned around and grabbed it with his own hand before it shot Mara in the back of the head. Mara turned around and gasped. Tristan grabbed her side and pulled her away from that direction where she was almost killed.

Peter looked at the arrow for a moment, then laughed, "I bring another girl onto the island… and suddenly you're shooting arrows at her… that is so like you," he dropped the arrow and called in the direction from which it came from, "You can come out now, Lily! I know you're there!"

"Lily?" Mara asked quietly to Tristan.

A woman appeared from behind a rock that was high up in the cave, her bow and arrow on her back. She looked fierce and ready to attack at any given moment. Her black hair was tied into two braids and she was wearing a brown gown with moccasins.

"Mara, Tristan, I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend… Tiger Lily," he smiled.

"Ha!" she scoffed, "Friend."

"Are we not friends, dear Lily?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"We were once," she said, climbing down the rocks, "before you betrayed us."

"Come now," Peter sighed, "Surely you must understand my intentions here."

Tiger Lily stalked towards Mara, standing fairly close to her and examining every last inch of her face and neck, "Of course… how could I forget? The new and improved Peter Pan cannot resist a beautiful girl," she stepped back and stood closely by Peter's side, "I am well aware."

"Show her mercy, Lily," Peter said, playfully nudging her shoulder, "The poor girl just wants to save her father's life, that's all."

"This is Hook's daughter?" she laughed, "I'm surprised at you, Peter… I thought you would at least pick somebody with a pretty face."

Mara began to charge forward, only to be stopped by Tristan's am that completely wrapped around the front of her body and pulled her to his chest. Tiger Lily strutted off into a little circle surrounding the hourglass, touching the glass and watching the dust be completely motionless.

"How did she even find my little hiding place?" she asked.

"YOU did this!?" she yelled, pushing against Tristan's arm. Peter stood in front of her.

"No," she answered, shaking her head, "I could have… but even I don't have magic like that… I suggested this place. Concealed within the hourglass to be completely unseen by anyone who encounters it."

"But you see," Peter interjected, "The pirate has more magic than any of us will have. She unlocked your little secret faster than it took you to come up with the idea to conceal him in the first place."

Tiger Lily crossed her arms and put all of her weight on her left hip, looking very angry as she scanned the three people up and down.

"Well then…" she shrugged, "I suppose I'm just going to have to kill her."

Tristan drew his sword and Peter raised his.

"Don't you touch her," Tristan spoke.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through us," Peter said.

Tiger Lily walked closer towards them, "You," she said to Tristan, "I don't mind killing you… but Peter… I'll keep you as a prisoner. That face is far too pretty to send to the bottom of the ocean now."

Mara grabbed onto Peter's arm, nervously.

"I won't let her touch you," Peter said reassuringly.

The lost boys and indians all circled around Peter Pan and the pirates. Peter made the first strike towards an indian and the fight broke loose all over the cave. It was far more exciting than any ship battle those men had been in. They hadn't seen battle like this in 4 or more years. Mara immediately crossed swords with Tiger Lily, who had a small sword hidden within her clothes.

"Peter asked me to show you mercy," Tiger Lily shouted, "but maybe I won't."

"HA! Jealous much?" Mara laughed, pushing Tiger Lily back with the weight of her sword.

The two girls continued to duel each other as Tristan and Peter took every moment necessary to take a glance and see if Mara was alright. She had backed Tiger Lily up enough until she was pressed up against the hourglass with her sword to her neck. Tiger Lily grinned and stabbed the glass with her dagger, causing Mara to back up while she fell in, the dust falling off the sides and onto the floor of the hourglass. Tiger Lily dragged Killian's body out of the hourglass and held her dagger to his neck. Mara stood completely still.

"Don't. You. Dare," she spat.

"You have a weakness," Tiger Lily answered, "If I kill him now, then you are finished."

Mara raised her sword towards Tiger Lily, "Put my father down. Now!"

"Mara!" she heard Peter's voice shout.

An arrow came past Mara's shoulder and almost hit Tiger Lily until she ducked out of the way, dropping Killian's body onto the ground with her beside him. Mara became enraged and felt all of the heat in her body tense up. Suddenly, Tiger Lily began to make small noises as if she were in pain as she touched Killian's body. The magic around him had reacted with her. Mara took an easy deep breath and picked her sword back up as Tiger Lily retreated. Mara went to Killian's side and propped him up against the rock so it was as if he was sitting and leaning against it. Tiger Lily shot an arrow at Mara and she turned around and grabbed it before it hit her heart.

Mara Jones chuckled, "You fight like a girl."

She threw the arrow down and strutted towards Tiger Lily, who was slowly backing up. Mara raised her sword and began to fight with her again. This time, the indian girl was surprised at the pirate's skill and accuracy. Tiger Lily was back up against a rock wall now with Mara's pistol pressed up against her neck. No one saw her pick up her pistol that quickly, but Tiger Lily was certainly afraid now.

"Drop the dagger," Mara said in a low, deep, and menacing voice.

Tiger Lily opened her hand and the dagger fell onto the ground. Mara picked it up and made an "M" on her chest in blood.

"Now get out of here," she whispered, "I never let my opponents escape without first plunging them into the bottom of the ocean… but Peter seems to be fond of you… so I'll let you live."

Tristan, Peter, and the other men had managed to scare off or knock out the rest of the lost boys and indians. The men were now carrying the unconscious ones down the stairs and onto the boats back to the mainland.

"I suggest you follow them very quickly," Mara said, "and I'll watch you leave. If you make one wrong decision, I'll kill you in an instant. Don't think I'm not afraid to."

"Do as she says, Lily," Peter said, crossing his arms, "This one is not a force to be reckon with."

Mara pushed Tiger Lily with her pistol towards the stairs.

"You tricked me," Tiger Lily hissed at Peter, "You made me believe I could defeat her!"

"All boys and girls need to be taught a lesson," Peter said, "Consider yours learned."

She glared at him and continued down the stairs. Mara stood at the top with her pistol in hand. Once she saw Tiger Lily jump into the water and swim back to shore, she put her pistol back in the holster and ran to where her father was sitting, pushing back the black hair on his head.

"Mara…" Tristan whispered, "Are you okay?"

Mara looked back at Tristan with tears forming in her eyes, "He almost died… because of me…"

"But you saved him," he insisted, kneeling down beside her, "Look at him, he's alive."

She shook her head, "but I could have done more… all I did was stand there and get angry…"

"Mara-."

"Just leave me alone," she said, pushing Tristan to the ground as she ran away from the cave.

Peter helped Tristan stand up and patted his back, "I'll give her a few minutes… then I'll talk to her."

"Yeah…" he nodded, "You do that. I'll guard Hook."

Peter slowly followed the path of the footsteps Mara left behind her. Behind the large wall that held the hourglass was a whole that lead to the outside of the island. Mara was sitting on the rocks, wiping her tears with her sleeve. Peter came out and sat next to her.

"You mustn't blame yourself for this," Peter assured her, "You defeated Tiger Lily, who is, in my opinion, one of the best female fighters I've ever seen…"

Mara shook her head, looking out into the distance, "I'm a terrible daughter."

"Don't say that-."

"It's true," she argued, "I believed that they had abandoned me… all this time they were in trouble and I didn't do anything about it… I didn't have a gut instinct that they were in trouble. I just hated them and moved on with my life… I don't even know where my mother is…"

"That wasn't your fault," Peter argued, "You are a very strong and confident and a rather stubborn person. I know for a fact that in that moment, you chose to do the brave thing instead of the easy thing. Instead of choosing not to believe the note you received that night, you moved forward and you captained your own ship… that is the bravest thing that I have ever seen."

"I merely did what any other person like me would do," she shrugged, "I'm the daughter of a captain. I was raised to be prepared for anything… wasn't I?"

"It seems like it to me," he nodded, "but you're also a human being. If you show weakness every now and then, no one is going to blame you… you are human."

Mara chuckled and shook her head, "I'm heartless sometimes… I kill because it's fun and I take what I want because I'm selfish… but then I turn weak all of sudden and with the snap of a finger it just goes away… What does that make me?"

"A pirate," he said, nudging her playfully.

She shook her head again, "I just… my father always taught me to believe in good form… do you know what that means?"

"Let's pretend I don't," Peter inquired.

"Good Form is not just a fighting style… but it means to do the right thing, the honorable thing, and the thing that is hardest to do," she answered, "Good form means putting your own feelings aside and doing what you need to do without questions."

"I believe… choosing to become a captain rather than sulking in your own sadness was a fine demonstration of good form," Peter said, "Your father would be proud of you."

"After all this time…" she said quietly, "I'm the daughter of a man who is powerful and great and skilled and wise… but when the time came for him to leave, I stepped up and did something beyond my belief… I had the power… and I did what I had to do."

"Pirates aren't the only ones who do that, you know," Peter shrugged, "It happens to everybody… owners of businesses, tradesmen, hunters-."

"Princesses," Mara said, looking down at the rocks, breathing heavily, "I've never wanted to be a princess… b-but…"

Mara looked at Peter, who was grinning at her comfortingly. It wasn't the easiest thing to think of; Mara was a princess. For most of her life, Mara had assumed that being a princess meant tiaras and ball gowns and acting dainty and polite all the time, but it wasn't always like that for a princess. Princesses need to be ready to rule in case something bad happens, they need to be ready for anything and they need to put their personal feelings aside when it comes down to something important. A princess isn't a delicate thing, but in fact, a strong thing. That's the kind of princess that Mara could imagine herself being, no matter how hard it was for her to admit it. She took in a deep breath and trembled as if her whole world was about to change forever.

"I'm a princess..."


	7. Chapter 6

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A bright light appeared and Mara could not tell where it came from. It seemed like something that was coming from beneath them because she couldn't see the source, but only the rays that followed it. Mara felt as though she had just busted open a 10 foot tall water gate and all of the water was spilling out, like she was free now. She felt light as a feather, but strong like a rock at the same time. It was like the fog in front of her was cleared now and she could see miles before her.

"Wow," Mara sighed, "Peter… I feel better."

"Mara… your necklace," Peter said, pointing at her chest.

Mara unclasped the necklace and held it in her hand. The small sea shell was now glowing blue in her hand. It had always been white, but now it was blue like the water and a it was glowing brighter than a star in the sky. It had never done this before and Mara had absolutely no idea why it was doing this.

"You've done it," Peter whispered, "You've unlocked the magic inside of you!"

"How do you know?" Mara asked.

"Look!" Peter said, pointing to the sky as the moon moved towards the horizon line.

"Is that-?" Mara asked, standing up and watching the sky very carefully.

It didn't take long at all for the moon to sink back underneath the horizon line of the water and the sky turned into a mix of light blue and soft orange. The daylight was coming back and everything was turning bright again as it once was. Peter was smiling, looking at the mainland and to the sun that was now rising above the horizon. Peter ran and picked up Mara, spinning her around as he shouted.

"Magic is back!" he cheered.

Peter held Mara very close to him and she comfortably wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him gently.

"I don't believe this," Mara sighed.

It then suddenly hit her.

You have to unlock it yourself, Ariel's voice rang in her head.

Do you know how I might do that? was Mara's reply to her.

Well…. you know how this island works… you have to completely honest with yourself… totally honesty is Pan's key to everything

"Honesty is Pan's key to everything…" she whispered.

"What was that?" Peter asked, looking down at her.

"Honesty," she said, looking up at him, "I had to be completely honest with myself. Ariel was right!"

"Ariel?" he asked, "That mermaid we met coming over here from the ship?"

"Yes!" she cheered, "Ariel said my necklace can unlock some kind of magic! This must be what she was talking about!"

"You said you were a princess and it unlocked everything," he said, looking wonderously at the birds that were now flying over the island in the sunlight and clouds, "You are a princess, Mara… a true Princess of Neverland."

Mara smiled up at him. They both looked at each other for a moment. Mara hadn't noticed what beautiful blue-ish gray his eyes were. It was mysterious and enchanting at the same time. The striking blue eye color of Mara's eyes were uncomparable the way Peter saw it. His quivering heart was now jumping, making leaps and spinning around several times. There had been Tiger Lily who had caught his eye before, but Mara made him feel a different kind of way, a special kind of way. He was about to do something that he would regret later.

Peter took Mara's face in his two hands and pressed his forehead against hers, but of them just admiring the heat of the sun, the breeze of the island, and the company of each other.

"Peter…" she whispered.

Peter pressed his finger against her lips and that only tempted him more than ever. He couldn't wait any longer. He brought her lips straight to his a kiss that stopped the world from spinning. Peter felt as pure as magic once again because he was kissing the most beautiful and magical girl in the entire world. Mara's hand grabbed the one that was touching her cheek as she smiled and kissed him again. Once they released from the second kiss, Mara bit her lip and smiled bashfully at him. Peter kissed her forehead and took in her scent, simply marveling how wonderful she was.

Suddenly, Mara's expression changed.

"Dad," she whispered, running away from Peter back into the cave.

Mara saw Tristan, standing beside Killian's body.

"Tristan!" she called.

"Mara!" he called after her, opening his arms up to receive her in a big hug, "I can't believe it. The sun is out and everything's bright again! What did you do?"

"Honesty," Peter laughed, "The mermaid was right. Complete honesty was the key to unlock her magic. Look."

Mara held out her necklace that was glowing blue.

"You did it…" Tristan whispered.

"Now there's only one thing left to do here," she said.

Mara knelt down beside Killian's body. She pressed the blue necklace against her father's heart and closed her eyes.

"Please… please work…" she whispered.

Peter and Tristan watched anxiously as Mara pressed her lips together, nearly shaking as she waited for something to happen. For a few moments, Killian did not move. Suddenly, the necklace began to glow again, this time, brighter than it had before, and a shade of green rose above Killian's body until it completely faded away, like fog. Then Killian began to cough several times before he gasped and opened his eyes, shaking out every limb until he looked at what was in front of him.

"D-Dad?" Mara said, shaking.

Killian raised his hand and touched Mara's cheek very slowly. He wasn't cold, in fact he was warm, and the color of his skin began to return to him as he took several deep breaths.

"Mara?" he asked quietly.

"Yes… it's me… your daughter," she nodded.

Killian's eyes grew wide until he completely sat up. "My Mara Emily!" he cheered, pulling her close to him to hug his beautiful daughter once more.

"Oh daddy… I missed you so much," she said, crying into his leather shoulder.

"How the bloody hell did you manage to find me?" he asked, holding her by her shoulders.

"With magic..." she said, showing him the necklace, "As it turns out, I'm kind of the center of all magic in Neverland."

Killian chuckled and held it in his hand and clutched it in his fist, smiling proudly at her, "Magic… just like your mother," he smiled, "Now that, my dear, is good form."

Mara laughed and hugged her father once again.

"Here, help me up, love," Killian said.

"Tristan?" Mara asked, "Help me?"

Tristan rushed over to Killian's other side and hoisted him up onto his feet.

"Who might this young lad be?" he asked, putting his arm around his daugher.

"Dad, this is Tristan Jacobs," she said as he nodded to him, "My best friend and first mate."

"First mate?" he asked, "That implies that you-."

"She is my captain," Tristan said, "and an amazing one at that."

"You captained the Jolly Roger all of these years?" Killian asked delighted.

"Someone had to," she shrugged.

"Maybe you really didn't need my help after all," he laughed, "So how did you come across this boy?"

"He robbed me," she said, indicated the necklace in her father's hand, then playfully snatched it back, "I snatched it back from him and made him sorry. For a trade, he asked to join my crew, so I let him. 4 years later and here we are."

"Very well then," he said, nodding to Tristan. Killian turned for a moment and saw Peter Pan standing there. He quickly drew his sword and pointed it at the boy.

"Well if it isn't the devil in disguise," he said menacingly.

"Dad, please don't," Mara begged.

"Captain Hook," Peter said, "It's good to see you, honestly."

"Don't play games with me, boy," he spat.

"Dad, listen to me-."

"I'm not playing any games this time, man," Peter replied.

"Good, that makes it all the more easy to finally kill you."

"Dad!" Mara shouted, throwing herself in front of Peter, her hand in his, "Please don't hurt him!"

"Out of my way, Mara, you have no idea what you're dealing with," Killian said.

"I do! I fought him myself," she answered, "I beat him, but he couldn't fly off the ship, so I brought him here and in return he was supposed to help me find you-."

"Perfect, let me kill him before he betrays you."

"No!" she protested, "Don't hurt him! Please, dad… he saved my life…"

Killian hesitated for a moment before he put his sword down, but he didn't draw it back just yet.

"Did he, now?" he asked.

"Yes…" Mara sighed, "I was captured and Peter came and rescued me. We can trust him. He's good."

"You, Jacobs," Killian said, pointing his sword to Tristan, "You believe them?"

Tristan nodded, "I know Peter has done some pretty bad stuff in the past, but he did save your daughter's and my life on several occasions in the last 24 hours alone. If it weren't for Peter we wouldn't have found you so easily and we'd probably be trapped in Dark Hollow."

"They wanted to go to Dark Hollow?" Killian asked surprisedly.

"That's what I thought too," Peter groaned.

"Everyone knows this is the number 1 spot to keep prisoners," Killian said, shaking his head.

"Thank you!" Peter sighed.

"Will you not hurt him, dad?" Mara asked on a more serious note.

Killian looked between Tristan and Peter and Mara before he drew his sword back and held his hand out.

"Truce?" Hook asked.

"Truce," Peter said, shaking the hand of the father of the girl he was madly in love with.

"Good," he nodded.

"Dad…" Mara asked hesitatingly, "Who did this to you?"

Killian sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand before he shook his head once again, "I cannot remember. I'm sorry, darling. Everything was such a blur and there's no way an evil mastermind of that kind can leave any evidence of who he is, should I be rescued."

She then took another deep breath, "Where is mom?"

Killian looked at her and she could tell by his eyes that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Dad?" Mara asked nervously.

Killian nodded, "Last I saw of her… she is alive."

"What happened to you two?" Mara asked.

There was a moment of silence before Killian finally took in a breath and began his story.

Killian and Emma were sleeping peacefully on the Jolly Roger. There was no sign of danger anywhere to be found as the waters were calm and Mara slept in the hammock across from them. Killian had never known a night more peaceful with his wife in his arms and his daughter unharmed.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

Some time later, they he could see light again, but it was dark outside and they were in the midst of a jungle. A jungle that was all too familiar to him.

"Emma!" he shouted, struggling inside the ropes that bound him to a tree.

"Killian?" Emma asked nervously.

Killian felt a hand touch his from the other side of the tree.

"Emma! You're alive," he said with relief.

"Yes…" she answered, "Did they take Mara?"

"I don't believe so," he replied, leaning his head back against the tree, "Mara!"

"Mara!" Emma called as well.

There was only silence that fell over the entire jungle. They both sighed in relief.

"Hopefully she's still on the ship," Emma said.

"We will get out of this," Killian promised, "When we escape, we'll find Mara and go back to Storybrooke."

"I agree," she said, "Whoever tied us up here is not friend of ours in the enchanted forest."

"and he's obviously acquainted with or is a certain boy who just so happens to live on this damn island."

Emma suddenly let out a shout of pain.

"EMMA!" Killian shouted as he heard the agony of his wife.

Emma was thrown up in mid air, grabbed by a shadow, and a bowl of green light formed on the ground in front of Killian.

"Emma?" he asked, then she came into view in the arms of a shadow.

"Killian!" she shouted.

"Emma!" he cried out.

There was silence; nothing but the sound of the portal beneath her. She reached her hand out for Killian and their fingers barely touched each other.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you more!" he called after her.

The shadow them opened his arms and Emma fell into the portal, the shadow following after her.

Killian sat on the stone, rubbing his eyes once again with his hand.

"That was the last time I saw your mother," he said.

"Well she's not in the enchanted forest," she said, "I looked all over there."

"Then she must be in Storybrooke," Killian said.

"Storybrooke?" Tristan asked, "What's Storybrooke?"  
"You'll find out soon enough, my friend," Peter said, patting Tristan's back.

Mara stood up and picked up her sword, drawing it back in, "Do you have a bean with you, dad?"

"Always," he said, reaching inside his jacket pocket and pulling out a small white transparent bean.

"I'm going with you," Tristan said, standing up and going to Mara's side.

"And you are too, Peter," Mara insisted.

Peter stood up and shrugged, "Not this time, I'm afraid."

Mara's eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"

"Mara, you've just returned magic back to Neverland," he said, "Someone has got to stay back and make sure it stays that way."

"He's just afraid to leave because if he does, all of his powers are gone," Killian said, standing on Mara's other side.

"No…" Mara said, "I won't go without you!"

"Yes you will," Peter argued, "You are strong enough without me. I believe that."

Mara marched to him in protest and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Please," she begged, "I need you to come with me…"

Peter shook his head, "I'm sorry… I'm useless over there. It's best that I stay where I belong."

"But what if I never see you again…?" she whispered.

"You'll see me again," he protested, "I can guarantee that."

Peter grabbed Mara by her waist and gave her a big kiss on her lips in front of Tristan and Killian, who watched with heartbreak and utter disgust. This time, Mara did not reciprocate the kiss the way she did before. It was probably for the best while her best friend and her father were watching. Peter let go of the kiss and let go of her while she walked back in between Tristan and Killian again.

"Really, Mara?" Killian said, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Mara asked defensively.

"Oh nothing," he said, then paused before speaking again, "Any daughter of mine can do SO much better than that."

Killian threw the bean onto the ground, creating a green portal in front of them. They all held hands together tightly.

Mara shouted, "Next stop… Storybrooke!"

The three of them jumped off the ground and fell into the portal, which closed instantly after they were inside. Peter sat on the rock and wondered if whether or not letting Mara leave Neverland was either the right choice for her, or the worst choice for him.


	8. Chapter 7

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Henry Mills was 12 years old and he remained that way as long as he was in Storybrooke. He was jealous of Mara because out of all of the townspeople, she seemed to be the only one who was aging. As long as Henry stayed within the boundaries of the town, he would never grow up, as they all did. What had changed? Was it the fact that he had the heart of the truest believer, and therefore, could not grow up? Or was it now that he was apart of the fairy tales just as anyone else, he stopped aging like they did? He was only jealous of Mara because she would be big, tall, and beautiful and everyone would love her more than him. Everyone already loved her more than him and she was only 6 years old.

This little 6 year-old angel was perfect. She had perfect white skin, long black hair that was never messy, and small little teeth that lit up the room whenever she exposed them with her smile. Her eyes were a shade of bright blue that drew anyone within a 5 foot radius to her. There was never a child more perfect than her, not even Henry, and he knew that far too easily. Neal saw that too.

Neal wasn't too fond of everyone doting over Emma and her new husband with their gorgeous child. Sometimes, Neal wondered if Henry ever wanted Captain Hook as his father instead, so then he could look like Mara and be as adored as her. Fortunately, none of these things had been said between them. Emma loved Henry just as much as Mara, he didn't need her to say it to him. So, Neal pulled Henry aside one morning and simply asked him how he felt about taking a little vacation. Henry was reluctant to the idea.

Neal knocked on the door of Emma and Hook's apartment just down the hall from Mary-Margaret and David's. There was suddenly the sound a giggle like bells that rang through the walls of the entire building. Emma opened the door.

"Neal," she said politely, "Hi, what's up? Is Henry okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Neal said, sticking his hands in his pockets, "Can I come in? I wanna talk to you and Hook alone."

"What about?" she asked, opening the door to him.

Neal stepped inside, his hands still glued to his sides, "It's about Henry, actually."

"Henry!?" Mara cheered as she ran down the stairs, carrying Neal's birthday present to her, the plastic sword, in her right hand while dressed in a navy blue and black ensemble that was very pirate-like. Killian came down after her dressed in his modern clothes as he laughed at the little girl who was almost too small to make it down the stairs without tripping.

"He's outside waiting for you with grandma," Neal said excitedly.

"Grandma's here too!?" she shrieked.

"Killian…" Emma said quietly.

He looked to her and they both exchanged a glance. One thing that Neal was certainly jealous about her marriage was how the two of them managed to communicate without even using words. They simply read the message in each other's eyes.

"Mara," Killian said to the jumping girl at his feet.

"Yes daddy?" she asked, grabbing onto her father's leg.

"You know the way downstairs, don't you?" he asked, "You're a very brave little girl."

"I am!" she clapped.

"Do you think you can get down there by yourself until grandma finds you?"

Mara nodded determinedly and opened the door herself before pointing her sword down the hallway as if to expect danger at any corner, then she scurried off down the hallway as Hook watched her. Emma and Neal laughed.

"She's adorable," Neal sighed.

"I know," Killian said proudly, "She's ambitious and confident."

"We all know where that came from," Emma said, eyeing her husband.

"Dearest, you and I both know the ambition and determination in her eyes came directly from you," he argued, sitting next to his wife and kissing her on the cheek.

"So what did you come to talk to us about?" Emma asked.

"I hope everything is okay with Henry," Killian interjected.

"No, it's not that," Neal reassured them, "Henry is just fine… it's just… we're taking a few vacation days, so to speak."

"Vacation days?" Emma said puzzled, "What do you mean, vacation days?"

"Henry and I are just gonna hit the road for a while; see what's outside of the Storybrooke, you know?"

"Well it's just that, now more than ever, Henry's feeling a little left out," Neal explained, "Mara's kind of soaking up all of the sunlight and that isn't her fault or his. But I think some time off from these people and this town would be a good thing for him."

"Is he upset?" she asked.

"Not really upset, but it's he's been feeling a little bit down," he answered, "Not like anyone has noticed, though. They're too busy looking at that beautiful daughter of yours. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame 'em. She's quite a gem."

"Obviously," Killian said proudly, "but will you be back soon? I don't want to see my Mara lose her big brother."

"We'll be back, I promise," Neal said.

"Good," Killian responded with a nod.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Emma added, "It'll be good for Henry to get out for a little bit."

"Glad we agree," Neal smiled and stood back up, "I'll go get Henry and we'll be on our way."

"I should go get Mara," Emma said.

"No, love," Killian said, resting his hand on her knee, "Stay here. Relax. I will go with Neal to get our girl."

Emma grinned and kissed Hook gently on the lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more," he whispered back, then stood up proudly, "Shall we make haste, Bae?"

Neal laughed and followed Killian out of the door. It wasn't a long drive down the street to the playground where the two men encountered Henry and Mara on the jungle gym. Mara was standing inside the house part of the wooden structure, pointing her sword towards Henry.

"Say goodbye Peter Pan!" she shouted.

"Not if I get to you first, Hook!" Henry shouted after her, standing on the latter in front of the monkey bars, next to the swings.

Mara charged forward with her plastic sword, climbing over the wooden wall and grabbing onto the bar with one hand while Henry did the same and they smacked each other's swords several times before they both jumped down and fought each other, Mara more skillfully than Henry.

"Hey, your girl's pretty good," Neal said.

"Thanks, mate," Killian nodded with a wide smile, "Taught her everything she knows."

Henry and Mara imagined that instead of a dome that they were climbing over, it was an intricate system of wires over a boiling lake of lava. They both circled around it, trying to figure out how to get to the other. The menacing smile of confidence and playfulness never left her beaming face. Henry then jumped off the dome and jumped onto the see-saw. Mara followed after her and jumped onto the other end as it moved to balance both of them. They stepped closer and closer until the platform continuously moved from one end to the other while they crossed plastic swords with each other. With one final blow, Mara stabbed her sword against Henry, who stepped back and landed directly on his bottom in the chair of the see-saw, a silly smile of acceptance on his face.

Mara gasped once she caught sight of her father.

"Daddy!" she shouted, running towards him, "Did you see?! Did you!? I beat Henry!"

"Yes you did!" he cheered, picking up his little girl and spinning her around in his arms.

"He beat me yesterday, so this was the revenge I wanted," she nodded.

"I'm very proud of you, dearest," he said, rubbing his nose against her cheek as she giggled delightfully.

Neal smiled at them and waved his hand in the air at Henry.

"Henry!" he called, "Time to go, son!"

Henry got up and dusted himself off, "Oh come on, dad," he sighed, "A few more minutes?"

"Pleeease daddy," Mara begged.

"Sorry, kiddos, but Henry and I gotta head out of town in a few minutes," Neal said to Mara.

"Now?" Henry asked.

"Yes, now," Neal demanded, "So say goodbye and let's hit the road, okay?"

He rolled his eyes and approached Mara as Killian set her down on her feet.

"Where are you going Henry?" Mara asked.

"Away," he answered, "Not for long, though."

"Away?" Mara asked, her bottom lip quivering, "Why?"

"We're going on a trip," he said, "Just me and my dad."

"But I don't want you to go!" Mara shouted, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly, "You're the only brother I have…. who will I play with now?"

"There are lots of other kids here in Storybrooke, I'm sure," he said.

"But they don't like me," she said.

"Now that's silly," Henry protested, "Everybody loves you. If they don't, then they don't know you very well, now do they?"

Mara nuzzled her head into Henry's chest. Henry reciprocated the hug and patted her on the back.

"I'll miss you…" she whispered.

"I'll miss you too," he whispered back, "but I won't be gone for long. I'll be back before you know it."

They let go of the embrace and Mara was lifted back into Killian's arms as they watched Henry continue to wave while being dragged to Neal's car. They stood completely still, saying absolutely nothing as they watched the car drive away and saw Henry look back at them through the back window, still waving, but very slowly. They had watched until there was no sound but the sound of the waves against the shore. Killian looked at Mara. The happiness that was in her crystal clear blue eyes was gone now. It was sad to see his daughter suffer from being without her brother; her only true friend. However, there was the hope that they would return before the week would be over, and then everything would be fine.

Henry had recognized this place before. He had only been there once and it wasn't for long. It seemed like forever since he last saw the city of Manhattan. This was where he and his mother first came to realize who his father is. They found each other in that city, which is why going back meant so much to Neal.

"Hey dad," Henry called from the back seat.

"Yes?" Neal asked.

"Are we ever going back to Storybrooke?" he asked.

Neal paused for a moment and then looked in the rearview mirror at the blank expression on Henry's face.

"Someday," he answered.

Henry looked back down at his thumbs, playing with each and every one of his fingers in his lap. The car pulled up in front of the building that he had only seen once in his life, but he remembered every last detail of it. Neal turned off the car, then let Henry out of the back seat before opening the trunk and getting their suitcases out.

"You still own this place?" Henry asked.

"Sure," Neal nodded, "In case I ever needed it again."

The two boys headed up the stairs and to the shabby little apartment Neal once called home. There was nothing there but an old couch, a coffee table, and a lamp. The bathroom was empty with no curtains, the other room was completely empty, and the walls looked incredibly rusty.

"It's a bit of a fixer-upper," Neal said, tapping on the walls, "but it'll be a great father-son project. What do you say?"

Henry looked around, heavily confused at the words his father used, as if they were going to stay there longer than expected.

"Dad…" Henry said, "What are we really doing here? Am I really going back to Storybrooke."

Neal sighed and dropped his suitcase on the couch before kneeling down, pressing his hands against his son's shoulders.

"No…" he whispered, "Before you get upset, let me tell you this; you and I both need to start a new life together. Of course we can visit your mom and sister whenever we'd like, but for now, this is our best chance."

Henry shook his head, his eyes watering, "No! I wanna go home!"

"This is home," Neal hushed, "Look, we can have a life that's all about you again. Nobody is ever going to treat you the way they used to now that Mara's there. Everybody loves her."

"I don't care!" Henry shouted, "I want my mom! I want my sister!"

"And then what?" he asked, "She'll grow up and come and go at some point and you're gonna still be the one who used to be the star of the town. Everybody's gonna miss her more than you. Meanwhile, the second she leaves for some kind of mission to save the word, everyone's gonna be heavily anticipating her return."

"You're wrong," Henry said, shaking his head.

"If I am, you still have no where to go," Neal said, letting go of Henry's shoulders, "You can either run away and TRY to go back to Maine from here… or you can stay with your dad and start over, make a new life, a life where you get to decide your own fate."

There was silence over the apartment. Henry just looked at his shoes against the floor. Neal was right. Henry didn't want him to be right, but he was. Storybrooke didn't need him anymore, they had Mara. She was perfect and she was always going to be perfect, that's all there was to it. Staying in Manhattan would be a nice change, he thought. There would be no complications of magic, no more chances of villains coming after them, and no more ancient prophecies to listen to. It would be a new kind of peace that he would learn about. So for the next few weeks, Neal and Henry refurbished the apartment, painting the walls and buying new furniture. It felt like a different place, but a good kind of different, he always said.

Next was Henry's new school. He attended an all boy's middle school in the middle of the city, which he would ride the subway with his father to every day. On Henry's first day, he kept clicking his heels together several times everytime he got nervous on the subway ride.

"Hey, you okay?" Neal asked, "You seem a little shaken up."

"I'm okay, dad," Henry looked up at his father and nodded. Neal patted his head.

The two of them walked to the school which was indicated by the yellow busses lined up in front of the sidewalk that lead to a wide staircase with large numbers of boys running inside.

"Are you ready for this?" Neal asked, his hand on his son's shoulder.

"I think so," Henry said.

"Don't worry about fitting in," he said, "I'm sure you'll have a thousand new best friends by the end of the day."

Henry couldn't help but hear the sound of a little girl's laugh when he thought of playing with friends on the playground. He turned around and nodded at his dad.

"I love you dad," he said.

Neal hugged his son, "I love you too. Now go get 'em."

Henry fixed his jacket before walking up the stairs, but he turned around and waved to his dad one last time, then he ran inside just in time for the first school bell to ring. The classrooms were small. The building had only 2 floors and a gym, so each grade was broken up into 2 groups and they fit into 2 classrooms. In those rooms, they would have their English, Math, Homeroom, and Lunch. P.E. was obviously in the gym, and science took place in the single science lab. Henry seemed exceptionally gifted at storytelling during his English course, and the other boys noticed that clearly. They stared at him as he sat alone with his back against the corner of the wall while the boys crowded around each other in several clumps around the free space. One of the clumps looked directly at Henry, who was staring at the ceiling while they pointed at him.

"Hey you!" one of them called.

Henry's head shot down to the direction of the sound.

"Me?" he asked, pointing to his own chest.

"What's your name again?" the boy asked.

"H-Henry…" he said hesitantly.

"Where you from, Henry?" another boy asked, his hands firmly in his pockets just underneath his untucked and messy white shirt.

"Maine," he answered quietly.

"Alright," another one nodded, "What's it like there?"

Henry hesitated before he shook his mouth open, "Oh… well… I lived in a small town with my birth mom… and my adopted mom… and my grandma… and grandpa… and my sister-."

The boys then began to giggle amongst themselves and turn their backs to him. Henry just sank back into the corner, staring at the polished wooden floors as he clicked his heels together again.

The last bell rang at the end of the day and the kids were rushing towards the bus faster than they were rushing inside at the beginning of the day. Neal waited amongst the other parents as they were greeted by their children. Henry came out, his head looking down at the path in front of him and his backpack firmly on both of his shoulders.

"Hey kiddo," Neal said with a bright smile on his face.

"Let's go home," Henry said, not saying anything else.

Neal tried to ask Henry questions about his day, but he simply shrugged them off as he sat on the subway chairs, staring at the darkness of the tunnels. It was easier that way just to ignore his problem rather than face it head on.

This plan of silence was not going to last the second Neal closed the door to the apartment behind him.

"So what happened?" Neal asked.

"What are you talking about?" Henry said plainly.

"What do you mean 'what are you talking about', you've been cranky since I picked you up from school."

Henry threw his bag next to the couch and fell on it, stretching out his entire body.

"Henry," Neal demanded, "Tell me what happened."

He paused before he spoke, "The kids don't like me at school…"

There was more silence following that. Neal kneeled down in front of the sofa.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," he said quietly, "Not everyone makes friends on their first day. Give it time."

"No," Henry protested, "They really don't like me. I told them about my family and they laughed at me… I don't wanna be friends with people who laugh at me like that."

"Okay, then maybe you need to make some friends who do have the same interests as you."

"Or maybe I need to go home where I can be myself without being judged."

Silence. Neal sighed again. Henry never really did have a normal life growing up like the other kids did. The other kids aren't the spawn of fairytale characters, they don't have the same adventures that Henry had. How could a boy who has believed in magic all his life become one of the normal kids?

"How about this… what you need to do is let go-."

"Let go?!" Henry yelled, "Do you really hate Hook THAT much, dad!? You hate him so much that you'd use me as an excuse to leave so you'd never have to deal with him or mom ever again!?"

"Don't change the subject, Henry."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"So what if I have problems watching your mom live with another family? So do you, don't you?"

"At least I still love them no matter what!"

"You can still love them but still let go of your past… you can 'lock it away' per say."

"And then what?"

Neal stood up and sat on the coffee table, "And then… you find something that interests you outside of the land of fairytales. You bond with those boys about something that little boys like you bond over. Superheroes, video games, sneakers, and stuff like that."

"You think that'll work?" he asked.

"I think it'll do you some real good."

Henry listened to his father after much thought about it. He simply lay in his bed, imagining the dark space above his head was a sky full of stars. Killian knew all of them just as well as Neal did. He remembered telling Mara everything she knows about what it's like to become a lost boy in Pan's army. He remembered the first time she was old enough to understand those stories and ask him more questions about it. He missed her probably as much as she missed him. Nothing could ever be the same anymore now. Henry had been separated from his family and that would always be something that would follow him for the rest of his life. Somehow, spending some time to grow up sounded like a good idea. Maybe he could get big and strong like his grandfather, probably be as tall as him too, then he and Mara could fight alongside each other in real battles one day. For now, there was just going to have to be some adapting and waiting time.

After a few weeks had passed, Neal and Henry ignored all the phone calls and letters that Storybrooke had sent them. No one had come looking for them, anyway. Henry joined the baseball team and graduated like a hero, becoming one of the popular boys of middle school. However, the more attention he got from his friends in the normal world, the more he began to forget about his life in the magical world, and so the magic within Henry's heart would eventually and inevitably fade away.


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey all, I did not ignore your reviews and PMs. I know it was a little confusing as to why I wrote in Henry's backstory, but I promise you I am not a crappy writer and everything I do has a reason.**

**ENJOY!**

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* * *

It had a salty smell to it, Mara remembered that much. It was also fairly brisk most of the time, as if the seasons never changed there. It was always early autumn in this place. She was glad that Storybrooke would always remain a constant in her life, no matter how things change in any other realm. The last time Mara was here was filled with nothing but emptiness and memories of a vacant swing and the opposite end of a see-saw. Mara got a glimpse of the playground and saw that the wind was strong enough to make the see-saw move by itself.

Mara felt her father's hand touch her shoulder very gently.

"I doubt he'd be here," Killian whispered.

She touched her father's hand and took a deep breath, "I know… sometimes it's just hard to accept that."

He nodded in agreement and patted her back before he started off towards the small familiar building. Tristan stayed close to Mara was he examined all the differences between that particular location and the home he was so used to. He also noticed the look of absence on Mara's face, but didn't bother to ask her about it, not yet anyway. She seemed far too preoccupied with everything else to pry on some silly curiosity about her private life.

They headed into the building where Mara spent most of her childhood. It was still there, ready for them whenever they needed, but she hadn't been there in nearly 10 years. Things had changed. Killian still had the key hidden within his vest pocket and pulled it out, unlocking the door. Mara stormed in almost instantly ahead of her father.

"Mom?" she called, then marched up the stairs.

Killian put the keys in the little bowl on the kitchen counter, "Emma always got mad at me whenever I left the keys outside of the bowl."

Tristan chuckled.

Mara came down the stairs with a look of concern on her face, the face of sadness mixed with determination that Killian was so familiar with.

"We'll check Mary-Margaret's, then," Killian said, taking the keys back from the bowl and put it in his pocket, "Lock the door behind you and turn off the lights, love."

"Yes dad," she answered, turning the little dial on the knob before shutting the door behind her.

Tristan grabbed Mara's arm, "Who is Mary-Margaret?"

Mara smiled at him softly, "My grandmother…"

Just next door to their apartment was another door. Killian tapped on it three times with his hook before the door opened to reveal a tiny, yet endearing woman with a wide stomach and perfect rosy cheeks.

"Killian…?" she whispered a small smile forming across her face, "David… come see who's here."

A blonde man stood up and came behind the woman, placing his hand on her shoulder. A huge smile formed across his face once he got a good look at who was standing in his doorway.

"If it isn't Captain Hook himself!" he cheered, stepping past his wife and wrapping his arms around his dear friend, "Good to see you, Jones."

"Likewise, David," Killian said, laughing.

"Hi Grandpa," Mara said sheepishly.

David looked up and saw the beautiful grown woman in front of him and his jaw nearly fell off and hit the floor.

"This can't be my granddaughter," he said, shaking his head, "She's much too grown up and gorgeous."

David ran up to her and gave her a big hug, spinning her around in a circle, "Look at you! You're all big and everything."

"And she has her mother's enchanting qualities and her father's devilish good-looks," Mary-Margaret said sweetly.

Mara stepped in between her father and grandfather and hugged her grandmother very softly.

"It's good to see you, grandma," she said, then looked at her stomach, touching it lightly.

"Shall I guess that's my new sister or brother-in-law?" Killian asked.

"Sister," she said, rubbing her stomach lightly, "Her name is Annabelle."

"How gorgeous," Mara said, smiling.

"Who might this young man be?" David asked, standing tall above Tristan.

Mara gasped and brought her grandparents on either side of her.

"Grandma, grandpa, this is Tristan, my best friend from the enchanted forest."

"Hi Tristan, David Nolen, nice to meet you," David said, holding his hand out to him.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," he replied, "Mara never told me she had grandparents in a different realm. I didn't even know this place existed."

"Well it's quite a long story," Mary-Margaret laughed, "Why don't you all come inside and we'll catch you up to speed."

The small group of people in the crowded hallway hussled inside the apartment one by one with Mary-Margaret last who closed the door.

"Actually, gram, I just wanted to know if you've seen my mom anywhere," Mara said hesitantly.

"Your mom?" she asked, "I thought she'd be with you, I was just going to ask you that."

"It appears these have been a very eventful few years," Killian said, "Someone had Emma and I taken away and put us under a paralyzing spell. Emma was thrown into a portal, possibly to here since she can't be found in any other realm, and I was sent to Neverland where she found me just this morning."

"So you think Emma is here?" David asked, "Trapped somewhere?"

"Perhaps," Mara said, "We'd really like your help, if you can, that is."

"Of course," Mary-Margaret said before David could protest, "She's our daughter, we'll do anything we can to help."

"Good," Killian said.

"Let's first start at Gold's shop," David suggested, "If it's magic we're talking about here, then we're gonna need to go to the king of magic himself."

"Who?" Tristan asked, looking to Mara.

"He's a relative…" Mara pondered, "Well… sort of, that is… I guess."

"Let's make haste, then, shall we?" Killian said, placing his hand on his daughter's back and leading her out the door, followed by Tristan, Mary-Margaret and David.

The little walk to Mr. Gold's shop was completely covered in wind as the bright sun came through the clouds. Mara had to squint her eyes. When they reached the little blue house with the sign that said "Mr. Gold" on it, they opened the door, which gave a very familiar ring. A man stepped out from behind the curtain and smiled at the first thing he saw.

"I didn't think I'd see you for a while, dearie," Rumplestiltskin said, smiling with all of his teeth.

"Hi Uncle Rump," Mara said, walking towards him to hug him.

"I can't believe it, you're already a grown woman," he said, rubbing her shoulders.

"Rumple?" An australian accent called through the curtain, "Who's out there?"

"Come and see, love," Rumple said to the back room.

Belle came out from behind the curtain, dressed just as stylishly as always with her beautiful brownish red hair in big luscious curls at her shoulders.

"Mara!" she gasped and clapped her hands together before charging towards the girl and taking her in a strong embrace.

Mara coughed just a tiny bit and laughed, "It's good to see you too Aunt Belle."

"Alright now, let my daughter breathe," Killian laughed.

Belle giggled and wrapped her arms around him after letting go of Mara, "Hello Hook."

"Hello Miss Belle," he said sweetly.

Belle looked over his shoulder at the tall, well-built, brown-haired man with soft brown eyes and a perfect bone structure with lips that could enchant any woman he wanted. He looked at Mara Jones as if he was ready to jump in front of her at any given moment and defend her with his life. There was an innocence about him, though. It's what made him look so sweet and desperately in love.

"Who is this?" Belle asked, stepping towards Mara.

"This is my dearest friend, Tristan Jacobs," Mara said with a smile.

"Hi Tristan," Belle said, holding out her hand, "I'm Belle, Mara's Aunt… well… sort of."

"It's a long story," Mara laughed.

"I'd love to hear it some time," Tristan said with a grin, "It's hard to believe I've known her for 4 years and she's never told me about any of this."

"Well, like she said, it's QUITE a story," Belle chuckled.

"One that can wait," Killian interrupted, stepping in between Belle and Mara to get to Rumple, "Now Mr. Gold, we have quite a bit of a dilemma on our hands. You see, I was trapped in Neverland for 4 years under a paralyzing spell, and Mara here just released me from it. Which brings us back to here, because we have no idea where my wife could possibly be."

"We figured coming to a magic expert would be a good place to go off of," Mara said, stepping next to her father.

"A paralyzing spell?" Rumple asked.

"Yes, not one like the squid ink, this one was much stronger," Killian added.

"Well there's only one other person I know who could make a stronger spell than squid ink," Rumple pondered.

"Regina?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"Regina has done nothing but try to make amends since she left town, I don't think this is the way she'd want to do that," Belle said.

"She's got a point," David shrugged.

"No, not Regina," Rumple said, "Peter Pan."

Tristan stomped his foot, hard, on the wooden ground, causing Mara to jump just a little bit.

"Tristan…" Mara begged, "Please don't-."

"I told you!" he shouted, "I told you he was up to no good and you didn't listen to me. He did this! I always knew he did!"

"No, this doesn't make sense," Mara protested, "He's changed so much over the years, why would he do something like this?"

"To get to you," Killian answered, "He did say that you restored magic back to Neverland, yes?"  
"That's right," Tristan nodded, "He said she was pure magic, the only person who could unlock it."

"So he put her parents under a spell and then searched for 4 years until he found her and used Killian as bait to bring his power back?" David asked.

"That sounds like him," Rumple said morosely.

"And Mara fell for it," Tristan said angrily, "in more ways than one…"

Everyone looked at Mara in the silence as she stared at the floor. She could feel the eyes staring her down and the glares from her loved ones, the questioning eyes, and pursed lips.

"Mara's in love with him," Tristan said quietly.

"I am not," Mara hissed, "We kissed. That's all. It was a one time thing."

"Now where have I heard that one before?" Killian muttered under his breath.

"Actually it was a two time thing," Tristan corrected, "You kissed him twice. I saw the first one… no one could mistake that look in your eyes when you're around him…"

"That doesn't matter right now, Tristan, so can you leave it alone, please?" Mara asked, her muscles tensing up.

"Mara's right," Rumple interjected, "Mara's affairs of the heart have nothing to do with what Pan has done now, all that we need to do now is find Emma, reverse the curse, and THEN we'll deal with the boy."

"I agree," Mary-Margaret said, "So where do we start looking first, Gold?"

Rumple pointed at Mara, "That is not MY decision."

"What do you mean?" Mara asked.

"Pan said it himself, didn't he? You are magic," he said, "So why don't you use it?"

Mara touched her now white shell necklace and began to fill every thought in her mind with memories of her mother. The time she taught her how to make cookies, when they ate chocolate chip pancakes for her birthday every year, when she carried the little girl on her back and watched the sunset with her father standing right beside them, watching her parents look at each other like they were the center of each other's gravity. However, the one memory that stood out the most was when Emma took Mara down into the mines and let her use the pickaxe for the first time while Grumpy laughed at the persistence of a tiny girl holding a big tool.

She opened her eyes instantly and noticed the swarm of eyes surrounding her.

"The mines," she breathed, "My mother's in the mines."

"The dwarf mines?" David asked.

"Let's hurry, before anyone else gets to her first," Killian said, being the first to charge out of the door.

Mara followed quickly behind him with Tristan right on her tail. Mary-Margaret and David followed, then finally, Belle came charging out of the store with Rumple behind her. It had been nearly 10 years since Mara had seen the little town, and yet, her memories help her create a perfect road map to where the mines were concealed. Once inside, the dark, damp, walls of the mines made an echoey dripping sound that seemed to make the place almost menacing.

"Now what?" Tristan asked, scooting closer to Mara.

She looked at him and then faced her back to him, pushing her hair out of the way of her neck. Tristan immediately unclasped the necklace and it landed in Mara's hand. The pirate approached the uneven stone wall and pressed the little shell against it, causing a bright blue light to shine through her fingers. From the shell came a blue line that drew itself at a very quick pace until it stopped and grew into a giant spot which glowed very brightly, almost blindingly.

"She's behind this wall!" Mara called.

A nano second didn't pass by when Killian threw a pickaxe at the wall and began to break down the stone piece by piece. Mara raised her eyebrows at the other men and they soon scattered about and picked up another pickaxe to join him. It took several minutes with David, Killian, and Tristan sending pieces of rocks flying through the air while Rumple stood next to Belle with his arm around her and Mara watched anxiously.

Suddenly, with one more swing, David's pickaxe hit the wall and a spark set off with the contact, sending him flying in the other direction until he hit the wall of the other side.

"David!" Mary-Margaret shouted, rushing to him and kneeling beside him, "Are you okay?"

David pushed himself upright with his legs spread out as he dusted off his jeans, "I think we found her."

"Emma!" Killian shouted as he pushed the rest of the stone between him and his wife away.

The last pieces of stone fell on the ground and there was revealed Emma Swan, completely unmoving and stuck in a yellow force field. Her eyes were closed and her limbs were spread apart as though she were simply floating in the air. Killian pressed both hands on either side of her and simply looked up at the beautiful blonde warrior who was trapped and paralyzed, breathing heavily at the sight.

"Mom!" Mara shouted once she got a good look at her and ran to her father's side, hugging his torso tightly.

"Do it," Killian said, patting his daughter's back and stepping away from his wife to give her some room.

Mara nodded in response and looked at everyone staring at her so hopefully and happily like everything was going to come to a close and there would be no more problems after this moment. It accelerated her own heartbeat just thinking about it. Without waiting another moment, Mara stuck her hand through the force field, very slowly without shocking herself, and pressed the necklace against her mother's heart. She waited. Nothing glowed, nor felt any different to her.

"What's happening...?" Mara whispered to herself, pressing the shell against her mother's chest harder, then on and off several times, "I don't believe this..."

For the second time in Mara Emily Jones's life, she felt completely and utterly helpless, and although it was contrary to her belief that a woman never needs a man to do the job for her, the only thing she wanted right now was for Peter Pan to swoop in and fix it like he did last time.

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	10. Chapter 9

**AN: First of all, did anyone catch my 3x05 reference in the last chapter? If not, go back to the scene where Mara goes to Mr. Gold's shop. I put it in there :3**

**Also, don't forget to take the survey at the bottom after you've read**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

It didn't hurt. Not one bit at all. Emma Jones felt so blissful, as if this childbirth were by magic. Nevertheless, she still cried out as she pushed the baby out and she held her husband's hand rather tightly. Thankfully he had endured worse, such as losing his hand altogether, so squeezing it tightly was child's play.

"You're almost there, Emma," Dr. Whale said excitedly, "Just one more push and we're done."

With one final push and a loud gasp from Emma, the lights in the room began to get brighter and brighter until the sound of a baby's cry filled the room, then the lights were so unnaturally bright until they dimmed down all at the same time not a moment later.

"It's a girl, Emma," Whale said, as he took the baby to get cleaned off.

"May I, doctor?" Killian asked, holding his arms out in front of him as he began to approach Whale.

He hesitated once he got a good look at the shiny, silver, and pointy hook where his left hand should be. Whale took and step back and attempted to conceal the baby from him.

"Whale," Emma said, still sweating and tired, but just as demanding, "He's her father... let him hold her."

Whale looked from Emma to Killian, then nodded. He handed the tiny squirming baby wrapped in pink cloth to her father, who held her with his right arm, supported by his left arm.

Once Kilian Jones looked into the eyes of that little ball of perfection, with dazzling blue eyes, little pieces of black hair above her perfect pale skin, he could feel something special about that crying angel; something magical about her. All of that hope he had saved up had finally payed off. Here he was with his wife, rubbing his arm gently as she smiled at them, and his very own child. It was a dream come true, especially for Emma, who had also finally gotten the real family that she deserved.

"Would you like to hold your little girl?" Killian asked, handing the small child over to the mother, whose eyes were swelling up with tears already.

Emma nodded and took the baby from her husband's arms, then saw the beautiful toothless opened mouthed smile from the newborn with beautiful blue eyes.

"She looks like you," Killian said softly.

She brushed back the black locks on her head and chuckled, "No way… that hair and those eyes? Those only belong to one person I know."

He nodded. Emma then became wide-eyed to the baby.

"Hi Mara…" she whispered, smiling at the small girl as she grabbed at her mother's blonde locks.

"Emily," Killian breathed, "Mara Emily."

Emma pressed her lips together, then looked from her husband, back to the baby, rocking her gently in her arms, "Mara Emily Jones."

* * *

It was a bright white light that was so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes just to make sure that they wouldn't be blind after this. Rumple was using his magic to try and break the spell over Emma's yellow force field. Mara felt fairly helpless that she couldn't do it herself, that was for sure. Tristan knew that, that's why he stayed close to her.

Suddenly, the light set off some kind of spark and it bounced against the walls of the mine.

"Mara!" Tristan shouted as he ran and jumped on top of Mara, causing her to fall flat on the ground, with Tristan guarding her body.

She looked up at him and smiled, "I could have handled that myself… but thank you."

Tristan stood up and helped Mara up on her feet, brushing the dust off her shoulders and arms. The magic ball of light wasn't done running its course, however, and it jolted back quickly, striking Mara in the back and causing her to fall forward. It was no surprise to everyone when Tristan jumped in front of her and caught her and she fell weak in his arms.

"Tristan…?" she asked, her hands placed firmly on his shoulders as she breathed heavily, looking into his eyes.

"Mara," Killian said, running towards her as Tristan gently let her walk over to her father, watching her carefully, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Mara said, holding onto her father's arms tightly as she readjusted her stance, "Yes, I think I'll be okay."

Killian nodded and patted Tristan on the shoulder, "Thank you, mate."

"No problem," he answered.

Hook then turned his attention to Rumple, "What have you done?!"

"Dad!" Mara said, releasing herself from his grasp and standing in between him and Rumple, "I'm okay. Obviously the magic wasn't that powerful enough to actually hurt me."

"Not powerful enough?" Mary-Margaret asked, "But how? Rumple, your magic is always powerful enough."

"I don't understand…" Rumple said, looking directly down at his palms, "I've broken the paralyzing spell before, how is this not working?"

Mara suddenly gasped and stepped back for a moment, gaining the worried attention of Killian and Tristan while everyone simply waited for her to say something worthwhile. Her thoughts began to circle back to the moment when Peter first came aboard the Jolly Roger; the first time she ever saw his face when he was younger.

"You best hope you still have your hope with you. The moment the heart of the truest believer grows up and leaves home, all of the magic in your precious Storybrooke will die out."

"Henry…" Mara whispered.

"Who?" Tristan asked.

"Henry?" Mary-Margaret interjected, "What about him?"

"We were warned, mom, dad, and I," Mara explained, "We were told that if Henry grew up and eventually left this place, then there would be no hope for Storybrooke."

"Who told you this?" David asked.

"Pan," Killian answered.

"We made a de-aging potion for him and slipped it in his breakfast one morning," Rumple added, "so as long as he was in Storybrooke, he would never grow up."

"When he left, everything seemed just fine," Killian said, "that's why we never worried."

"Until now," Mara breathed, "Rumple, your magic doesn't work as well as it used to because Henry hasn't been back in years. Without the heart of the truest believe HERE to keep magic alive, then magic will slowly continue to thin out until it's gone forever."

"That Peter Pan is quite the sneak, isn't he?" Rumple muttered.

"What else is new?" Killian groaned.

"How about this," Rumple said, raising his eyebrows, "Pan told you about Henry all those years ago not because he wanted to protect Storybrooke, but he wanted to protect himself."

"So Peter Pan is selfish," Tristan shrugged, "I thought we already knew that."

"What I mean is, that if Henry doesn't believe soon, not only magic in Storybrooke, but Storybrooke itself AND Neverland will cease to exist."

"What about Mara?" Tristan asked, "She restored the magic in Neverland, can't she keep it that way?"

"She could," Rumple said, "but she is just gaining her magic. The heart of the truest believer is far more powerful than anything she could ever do."

"It's settled. We have to find him," Mara said immediately.

"And leave Storybrooke?" Belle asked.

"Well somebody has to," Mara nodded.

"I'm going too," Rumple said, "If anyone knows how to find Baelfire in New York City, it's me."

"Don't you forget, crocodile, that I crossed realms and found my wife in New York quicker than it took for you to do so and find your son," Killian interjected, "and I will not leave my daughter's side."

"It's settled then," Mara said, "The three of us are going."

"And I'm going as well," Tristan added.

"No," Mara protested, "I need you to stay here and look after my mother, not to mention my grandparents and my aunt."

He nodded, "As you wish."

"Whilst you're sleeping, I offer our apartment next to Mary-Margaret and David's," Killian nodded, "You seem honorable enough to 'house-sit', as my wife calls it."

"Thank you, captain," Tristan answered.

* * *

David was watching Emma, making sure that nobody suspicious came along and tried to take her away or something of the sort. Mary-Margaret, to her dismay, was sleeping alone in her apartment. Killian was finally asleep in his own bed once again while Mara was back in her old room, still decorated like a 7 year-old's pirate fantasy. Tristan was asleep in the room across from her. He was so close, yet so far away for her to comprehend. Tristan wasn't really asleep either. He just stared at the shadows on the wall as the rain pattered against the window.

The sound of a door creak made Tristan draw his sword instantly from his bedside table and hold it firmly up in the air, facing directly towards the door with very little light coming from outside with the occasional lightning bolt due to the rain outside.

"Shhh," a familiar voice hushed.

Mara came into view from the darkness and her figure was distorted by the harsh amount of light from the moon and the spots on the window from the continuing rain. Tristan, however, was relieved and put his sword away.

"Mara..." he sighed.

"Relax," she said soothingly, "This is a safe place; completely unlike the other world..."

"I still can't believe you kept this whole other side of your life to yourself," he said.

"I don't talk about it much... the less people on that side know about this side, the better," she answered, "That's what makes this place so safe... hardly anyone outside, except those who lived here, know it exists."

"A world without anyone following us? No sneak attacks or raids every other day?" he asked, "That's gonna take some getting used to."

"Well now that you know it's here, you can came back whenever you want," she said softly, sitting down on the side of the bed.

He looked at her hand for a moment and hesitated to make a move with her. Was she technically with Peter now? Wouldn't that mean he is crossing a line by romantically pursuing her? He had held her in his arms so many times before as if they were forever devoted to each other. They slept by each other's side because they were terrified to be without each other, yet she still called him "friend". What confused him the most was after everything they had been through, she kissed Peter. Peter seemed more than happy to accept her perfectly pink lips against his own, and that angered Tristan. Peter must have known that Tristan had feelings for Mara, he just had to. Then again, Peter was never really known to do the honorable thing.

"Tristan..." she whispered.

"Yes?" He answered almost instantly.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded his head, "I think you'll always know the answer to that question."

She chuckled and got beneath the covers with him. It was different this time; sleeping with something covering her. All the better now that Tristan was there. Tristan perfectly accepted her as his arms wrapped around her and she snuggled close to his chest, her hand resting firmly on his heart. He began to play with her little strands of hair while he felt her heart beat against his own. This was the happiest Tristan could be, yet he couldn't feel happy because he saw a vision of Peter, standing in front of them as he watched over Mara, his woman, not Tristan's.

"Mara..." he whispered, "You kissed Peter... in Neverland."

"Shhh," she hushed, "He kissed me, to be precise."

"Yes, but you gladly accepted it, didn't you?" He asked, angrily.

Mara sat up and turned herself so her hands were on either side of Tristan.

"Listen to me carefully, because I will not say this to you again," she ordered, "This is all very confusing for me... you are wonderful... magnificent... compassionate... and just... so beautifully human..."

"But?"

"But there's also Peter..."

"I don't need to hear what you like about him," he halted.

"Both of you are wonderful people... and I know that it's selfish to say that if I choose one I lose the other... but I may not ever see Peter again... and you both deserve all the happiness in the world-."

Tristan sat up just a little bit and pushed her back so she was laying down on the bed and he was hovering over, just an inch away from her lips.

"And I want you to know that the last thing I want to do is distract you from your mission," he whispered, "But once this is over and you've succeeded, you'll know that there is someone waiting for you... right in front of you... who loves you... and not in the way that you think... but in the way that is the strongest, deepest, purest kind of love. The kind of love that will do anything to make sure you are at your strongest... the kind of love that tempts me right now at this very moment."

Mara lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his cheek, smiling softly at him. He was there, just above her, and he was perfect and soft and kind. He was a good fighter and thief and pirate, but he was also a noble man with a heart purer than Mara's, no matter what any magical prophecy says. Tristan had the heart of gold.

"Oh Tristan..." she said, her voice trembling.

"Enough already," he said before attaching his lips to her in a sweet kiss.

That sweet kiss wasn't like anything Mara had expected. If she had ever kissed Tristan in her imagination once or twice, she had imagined him with a soft kiss, a tender and gentle care to him. But it wasn't like that at all. Tristan was fierce, fiery, and passionate. It was unexpected and yet it was what Mara needed as they pressed their bodies closer together to feel the heat between them. They both let go from the kiss, breathing heavily.

"Mara-."

"Don't talk," Mara demanded, taking his face in her hands and quickly kissing him again, only harder this time.

The tension was soon becoming too much for both of them to handle. It was Tristan's dream come true to be desired in this way by the most wonderful girl to ever step foot on the planet. Kissing her sweet lips as she breathed heavily and begged for more made him finally feel like she was accepting him, and not just as her friend, for once.

At the same time, however, it felt too wrong. There were much more important things to focus on than who Mara's heart belongs to. Her mother was paralyzed within a force field while her own brother may not even believe in her anymore. This wasn't the way he wanted this to happen.

"Wait, stop," he whispered against her lips.

Mara sighed heavily and fell back on the bed, "What's wrong...?"

He bit his lip, wondering if he was about to make a big mistake, "Do you love me?"

Mara's eyes widened, "Yes…" she paused to watch the reaction on his face, whether or not it'd be positive or not, but his expression didn't change, and it worried her, "I've always loved you like my own dear friend… but in the past few months… something's changed, Tristan. I've never even admitted this to myself before… but my feelings for you are much different now than they were before… at first I just admired you for being so compassionate and a much more perfect human being than I am… but now I just need that. I need you, Tristan… I love you."

"Do you love me and only me?" He asked immediately after.

She bit her lip and glanced at the ceiling. Tristan nodded and fell on the bed next to her.

"I'm not gonna make you think too hard about it now," he said, "Lucky for you, I'm a very patient man. I've waited a while for your heart, what's a few more weeks while you figure out your family situation?"

Mara turned over and smiled at him, "Thank you... you truly are the most amazing person... sometimes I wonder if I even deserve the love of someone like you."

He brushed a piece of hair out of her face, "Ditto."

They fell asleep in each other's arms that night, listening to the sound of the rain and watches the patterns on the wall together. He lay on his back with his arm holding her close to him as she lay on her side, her hand firmly placed on his chest while his thumb gently grazed against her shoulder. It made Mara really think this time. Tristan's kiss wasn't better than Peter's, it was just different. They were both wonderful. However, there was a chance that Peter was selfish and her family was right about him, and it's possible that she'd never see him again because of it. Would it be a great loss if Peter really would be gone from her life forever? Would life be better without him? Was Tristan really the right choice for the long haul? Peter could never ever leave Neverland for as long as he lived, nor did he want to leave. Being with Peter meant a lifetime on an island, becoming a princess of all things magical; maybe the queen, possibly. Tristan would lead a life of adventure, always searching new lands, finding new possibilities, and having her parents by her side. Mara knew that choosing Tristan meant choosing family, and choosing Peter meant choosing Neverland.

When the sun rose in the morning, Mara did not remember having any dreams. They were possibly dreams of black and white. Now the rain had stopped and it left a refreshing smell in the air. Mara quietly got up from the bed, kissed Tristan's forehead.

"I do love you…" she whispered, stroking his perfect brown hair as he slept.

She quietly sneaked out of the room, returning to her own without making a single sound as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

There was only green, brown, and gray for miles. It was a long winding road with a yellow line straight down the middle and an orange line horizontally across it. The town line. Mara felt so weird coming here again. She first visited it when she was a child, wearing little blue jeans and a cute little blue top as she stared off into the land of no magic. Now she was back, heading straight for it with no regrets, dressed the same way as she was before. Rumple's car was slowly approaching the line when he pushed on the brakes and it came to a slow stop just before it crossed the line. Rumple leaned back.

"Do you have the vials I gave you?" he asked.

Killian and Mara took little glass bottles out of their pockets.

"Alright, now pour it on an item that is always close to you," he instructed.

Killian dabbed it onto his gray fleece, which he wore along with jeans and a white shirt whenever he came to Storybrooke as a way to fit in, as Mara unclasped her necklace and spilled the contents of the shell and rubbed the liquid onto the chain.

"Good," Rumple nodded before turning back around and pushing the gas and jolting the car forward; a feeling Mara hadn't been used to in a long time.

Rumple began to drive slowly once they crossed the town line. Mara felt a shock go through her entire body that sent shivers down her arms and legs.

"Everybody okay?" he asked.

"I'm good," Mara said, the necklace now securely around her neck.

"I remember myself just fine, thanks," Killian grinned.

"Excellent," Rumple said before driving off much faster into the distance.

The car ride was going to be a long one, considering that they had to go all the way to New York. Mara watched the position of the sun as it moved higher and higher into the sky. She thought of Tristan every now and then, especially about how he deserved a proper goodbye rather than just getting up and leaving after she told him about this big revelation she had about her feelings for him. Everything she said that night was true; that her feelings did change for him, but it was only until that night did she fully realize that they did. It went from an admiration to a desperation. Mara loved Tristan. Mara also may have loved Peter. It was difficult to say. Peter was in Neverland and if Peter couldn't leave Neverland, there was no way her parents would let her go back to find him. That kiss may have been their last. What if Peter really was selfish? What if he was too selfish to even consider leaving his precious island? Was her dilemma not good enough for him? Tristan cared enough to go anywhere with her, trust anyone for her, anyone except for Peter, which made perfect sense. It was all very confusing.

"You seem to be very heavy in thought, love," Killian said, breaking Mara from her trance out the window.

She shook her head twice and looked over at her father, "I've got a lot on my mind."

"I'll say," he chuckled, "Your parents left you at 12 years old, you captained a ship for 4 years by yourself, you've crossed to three different realms in under 48 hours, you just got your father back after 4 years, you've discovered that your mother is alive, you're traveling to New York City for the first time, and you have two boys playing one hell of a tug-of-war over your heart."

"You know about-?"

"Please," he scoffed, "How could anyone not see that the Jacobs boy pines for you? Everything he does is for you. It's written clear as day in his eyes."

"It's all so strange," Mara said, staring at the floor of the car, "My best friend becomes a someone who is deeply in love with me and my enemy becomes a forbidden love that I may never have…"

"Right," Killian said, rolling his eyes, "The new and improved Peter Pan."

"Why is it so hard for all of you to just accept that he's changed?" Mara asked, "He's good now, dad. I promise you."

"I find that one hard to believe," he answered.

"Why?"

There was silence. Kilian looked away from his daughter and up to Rumple in the driver's seat. Rumple sighed and looked at Mara through the rear view window.

"Because his name isn't Peter Pan," Rumple said, "His name is Malcolm."

"What?" Mara breathed, "How do you know that?"

"Because a long time ago, there was a little boy in the enchanted forest with a father who was absolutely terrible. He was a gambler and a cheat, but the boy still loved him even though his father was terrible to him-."

"Peter is the boy..." Mara whispered.

Killian hushed her.

Rumple continued, "Months after the father left the boy with two women to be cared for, the boy returned to the father with a magic beans. The father took them to a place called Neverland. When they arrived there, the father was so consumed with greed for magic, that he let go of every single adult attachment in order to become a boy again, that way the magic of Neverland will return to him. So a shadow took the boy away from his father and threw him back into the Enchanted Forest forever. The father stayed in Neverland and was transformed back into a boy. Amongst his travels, he found a little doll which his son named "Peter Pan" and so he called himself that name in honor of his son."

Mara was silent and looked from her father to Rumple several times.

"You can't be serious," Mara said, shaking her head, "Peter... Malcom, that is... had a son?"

"That's not even the worst part," Killian chuckled, "Tell her."

Rumple sighed, "Malcolm… is my father. That boy in the story is me."

Mara gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, "It can't be true… it just can't be."

"What? That your special forbidden love abandoned his own family or that you kissed an old man?" Killian asked, laughing.

Mara leaned back against the seat, slouching only slightly so she could get comfortable for the long car drive. No thoughts filled her head as she purposely attempted to make her brain go numb for a while.

"Would you like to talk about something else, then?" Killian asked.

"Like what?" she said with her eyes closed.

"No idea," he chuckled, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Four years."

"I haven't missed much, have I?" he added.

"No," she said, turning her head and opening her eyes, "Everything I've done, you've heard in passing, I'm sure."

"Like captaining the Jolly Roger," Killian said with a proud smile, "I can't believe it. My own daughter captaining the ship like a pro… you know who would be proud of you, of course."

Mara smiled and looked out the window, "Uncle Liam would."

There was more silence, more like morose silence now.

"What was he like?" Mara asked again, still looking out the window.

Killian sighed, "He was a good thinker, a hard worker, and he had a very good sense of logic. He never easily listened to anyone other than the people he was close to, that was both an excellent trait that made him a captain and the reason for his downfall."

Mara nodded, "Would he like me? You know, if he were alive?"

"Well… things would be different if he were alive today," he answered, "If Uncle Liam were alive that means the dreamshade really did heal him instead of kill him. I would still be a Navy Lieutenant and he would be my captain. I know this is a bloody awful thing to say, but I am somehow grateful my brother died that day… because I would have never rebelled against the royal court and become a pirate, I never would have shared secrets with the greatest bandit himself, Flynn Rider, and I never would have met the Queen of Hearts who could have never told me to go in disguise as a poor injured man in order to trick your mother. Most importantly, your mother would have never seen right through me and made me the man I am today."

Mara scooted closer to her father and grabbed his arm, cuddling herself up against him like she used to do when she was a small child. Killian smiled and kissed Mara's hair. In the rearview mirror, Rumplestiltskin admired and watched with jealousy of how Killian had been the only father not to abandon his child purposefully amidst the chaos that goes on in the lives that they lead. A man who was claimed to be a villain turned out to be the most honorable father of them all. Oh how things change.

The car ride was quieter after that, but it was a good kind of silence that people could reflect upon and relax. There were so many problems going on, but in this silence, the three of them could let them go and calm every last nerve in their bodies until they reached their destination.

* * *

New York was a lot more different than Mara had imagined it to be. First of all, she thought it would be cleaner, second of all, she thought there would be less people and the buildings wouldn't look so frighteningly tall. It was like a big piece of land filled with giant castles everywhere. The car pulled up in front of a mass of buildings with several doors, several windows, and several fire escapes.

"We have reached our destination," Rumple said proudly as he undid his seatbelt.

"You ready?" Killian asked Mara.

"I have to be," she insisted, "otherwise we came all the way here for nothing."

Killian nodded in agreement. Mara undid her seatbelt and opened the car door, taking in the brisk air of the city along with the subtle winds that came from it. Rumple lead the way to the door and opened it, allowing Killian and Mara to enter in first. He made his way past the both of them once inside and pressed the button he was most familiar with.

"Hello?" a voice came from the white box.

"Surprise!" Rumple said happily.

"Dad," Neal's voice responded positively, "What are you doing here?"

"Must a dad have a specific reason to come and visit his son after all these years?" Rumple said.

Neal chuckled, "Hold on, I'll buzz you in."

There was a very unappealing buzzing sound that came from the air and Rumple pulled the gate open.

"After you two," Rumple said, letting them into the building first.

After climbing a few flights of stairs, Rumple found the apartment door very proudly and almost effortlessly, then began knocking three times, smiling very deeply.

Neal opened the dark green door and almost immediately grew a smile that went from ear to ear.

"Papa!" he cheered, taking Rumple in for a big hug.

"How are you doing, Bae?" Rumple asked.

"I'm fine, doing good," he answered, "Come in, please."

"Hey Neal," Mara said, stepping into the apartment.

Neal caught sight of Mara and looked very confused, but once he looked her up and down and took in the sight of her, his eyes grew very wide, "Mara? No way. That can't be you."

"It's amazing what several years do to one's growth," Mara laughed and ran to Neal for a hug.

"It's good to see you again," he laughed, "Henry will be home any minute from school and he'll be so excited to see his baby sister again. Where's your dad?"

"Present," Killian said, walking into the apartment with his head held up high to the clouds as he stalked very closely to his own daughter.

"Killian Jones," Neal nodded, "You look good for a handless guy in street clothes."

Killian looked down at his hookless arm and grinned, "If one must fit in, one must not be wearing a full length leather jacket with a vest, pants, and silver hook to match. In this city, it is best to wear jeans and show everyone that your hand is gone."

"I see…" Neal answered awkwardly.

"But enough about me," Killian smiled, "Where is the boy? We've come to see him."

"Oh?" Neal asked.

"Something's gone terribly wrong back home," Mara explained, "We really need you and Henry back in order to help fix things."

Neal chuckled, "Why would I wanna go back? So I can watch my son have more fun with his mother than me? So I can stand there and be Emma's cheerleader while Hook does all the real work? Sorry guys, I'm not bringing Henry back there so he can be a part of the Mara show."

"Is that why you left, then?" Mara asked, "because you were scared?"

"I wasn't scared," Neal argued.

"Then what on earth could possess you to believe that it was okay to take Henry away from his home?" Killian asked, "What makes tearing a brother and sister apart okay?!"

"I was supposed to be the one to marry Emma!" Neal yelled, then calmed himself down, "It wasn't supposed to be you. Henry, Emma, and I are the ones who are supposed to get our happy ending..."

"If you forget, mate, I gave your family a shot, remember?" Killian said, "As it turns out, I was the better choice, and just look at what we've created from that. Our daughter is the finest captain, pirate, and fighter on the seven seas… and she looks just like me so of course she's absolutely gorgeous."

Mara shot a look at Killian, then at Neal. She was ashamed at how these two had been treating each other all this time. They were arguing no better than Tristan and Peter were when she was in Neverland.

"Look, there is nothing to argue about anymore," Mara said, standing in between the two of them, "My mother made her choice, end of story. But that fairy tale to rest and pick up the one that we're in the middle of now, before something terrible happens to everyone we love in Storybrooke, okay?"

Killian and Neal were looking straight at each other. As Neal opened his mouth to protest, the dark green wood door flew open. There stood a big and tall young man. He had a backpack on one shoulder and one earbud in his left ear. He was muscular which made him very intimidating. He stared at the floor most of the time as he walked into the apartment, his shaggy brown hair in front of his eyes.

The brown haired boy looked up, then pushed his locks back over his head to see the people that were standing in his apartment. An old man on the couch, a one handed man in a gray fleece with jeans and dark slicked back hair, and a beautiful girl in jeans and a blue button down blouse with black boots and the most enchanting blue eyes in the whole world. Those eyes stopped him right in his tracks, causing his ear buds to fall out of his ears and his back back to hit the floor along with all of his stuff.

"Mara?" he asked, almost too hesitant to walk towards in her in fear of what she might do.

Mara blinked twice, trying to examine this person who seemed like a stranger to her, but then she saw the youthful glow in his face, his rosy cheeks, and the little smile that he gave her. She gasped.

"C-Can it really be you?" she asked, stepping closer to him, "After all this time?"

"Yes… It's me," he answered, "Your big brother."

* * *

**www . survey monkey (.com) / s/NXN9CJW (remove all the spaces)**


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